We’re back to getting to know more about Shauna today! She’s the most recent addition to this blog and I can’t wait to collaborate with her, and read what she contributes in the coming months!
I used to blog (http://thefrankenburgers.blogspot.ca) as a way of documenting our family’s life and adventures. Until one day, I just didn’t. No big monumental moment of why. I just naturally, progressively, shifted my online energy to instagram.
Trying something a little different here on the blog. I’m opening it up for more collaborative writing with some of my friends, because although I love to blog, I recognize the significance in different voices. I also have a desire to empower other women through writing & sharing our stories. Authenticity & voice at work.
In this spirit, I am pleased to welcome my dear friend Shauna to the blog! She is eager to contribute, so I leave the rest of this introduction to her own {amazing} words.
SIX YEARS!! Six years of sharing my story, my life and my inspiration on this here blog. When I started out writing all those years ago, I had lots of grand plans. Little by little, those changed, along with my expectations. I tried some things, liked some things, let other things go. I quickly learned how much work a blog can be. But, over time, and a few hundred posts, I found my voice. My true interests. My authenticity.
Thank you for reading along, being gentle, and coming back.
To date, I have written 592 posts, received 363 comments, and shared more heartbreak than I ever imagined I would.
And I’ll keep at it. Because, like my crafting, blogging has become a part of who I am. I don’t post every day, certainly. But I’m not giving up on this space to share my thoughts & experiences.
Everyone’s journey through this life is different. And the same. And it makes for a beautiful mess sometimes. I hope I touch one of you, perhaps inspire another, and let some of you know that you’re not alone in any of this.
Cheers, to six years and so many more posts to come!
Love,
Sarah
I’ve been plugging away on this blog for five years now! Hard to believe, and yet I’ve managed to pack in a lot of “life” in that time. From starting my handmade craft business, to becoming a mama, to losing both my brother & my mother and all the gardening & crafting adventures in between. (more…)
Hello there! Welcome to the NEW blog. My sweet hubby breathed some fresh air into my logo and the site design. Whaddaya think? I was feeling like things not only needed a little sprucing up, but that they deserved some sprucing up.
Ummm… not sure how it happened, but suddenly realized this month that I was edging close to 500 posts on this here little blog of mine. This post officially makes 500!! Wowzaa! That feels like a lot of writing. Of course, it’s been spread over the past 4 1/2 years, but still this is a milestone to take note of.
The last time we did a bit of celebrating on the blog, was when I wrote the 200th post. At the time, I shared my top ten fave posts. This time around, I thought I would do something similar, but also include the most popular blog posts. Thanks for walking down memory lane with me. Here we go:
FOUR YEARS! Yep, this little blog of mine has been going for four years now. A short time, really, in the blogosphere, but still feels like quite the accomplishment. Posts have been few and far between this summer, sadly. I have an inkling that might happen again in coming years. Winter months, though long here in Alberta, make for great writing & blogging. Summer months, not so much. The growing season is far too short to spend in front of the computer. That doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten you! This blog and its readers are very much on my mind as I go through each day and I’ve stored up some good content for posts to keep us entertained in the winter.
Until then, I think a Fourth Blogoversary calls for some celebration! This post marks 477 blog posts in that four year period. I’m crawling my way up to 500 posts (another milestone that will call for a bit of celebration later in the year)! And a BIG THANKS to all the wonderful folks you take the time, not only to read the blog, but to leave a comment! You guys rock and it makes my day every time I see a new comment come through!
So, let’s see, the best way to celebrate… with a GIVEAWAY, of course!! It might only be September 1st, but there’s already a crispness to the morning air. I’d love to help keep you cozy this autumn, so I’m giving away one of my crochet cowl scarves. All you have to do, is leave a comment on this post, and your name will be entered into the draw. Giveaway will close on Friday, Sept. 5th at midnight MST. Winner will be announced Saturday morning. Comments closed.
AND how about a sale in the Etsy shop, just to show my great appreciation of all your support! I rarely have sales in my shop, so you’ll want to take advantage of this one. All items 15% off!!! Whoot! Sale ends Friday, Sept. 5th at midnight MST.
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU for all the love and support over the past four years! Made the journey worth it! Hope to be around on the blog more once we get through the craziness of September (canning season, you know) and go on our Disney Cruise (over-the-moon excited about that). Until then, take care and good luck to all the giveaway participants!
(and before anyone asks, I did not make that lovely cupcake in the top photo… I turned to my good ol’ friends at Veer for a stock image)
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And the winner is…
LISA!! Congrats Miss Lisa! I will be in touch with you shortly.
Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway!!Looking forward to continuing to write & share good posts for you! Have a great weekend!
Another milestone on this here little blog of mine. This is the 200th post! Yeppers! 200! I figured it was the perfect time to read back through past posts and pick out some of my favorites. So here, in chronological order are my top ten favs (click on the text link in the list below to read the original post):
Now, these are my favs for many different reasons. When it came to Bubblegum Sass business-type post, some of them were just enjoyable to write or research, while others were satisfying to share new sewing creations. When it came to personal life-type posts, many marked fairly monumental changes, some positives and others just sad, from being laid off to losing a brother. This has been my life for the past year & a half in 200 posts.
I took a peek at my Google Analytics to see what the most viewed blog posts were, knowing that my favorites were probably not among these. Surprisingly, the most viewed was Purses grow on trees, a post about the purse display stand that my father and I made. Go figure. Following close in second place are a series of posts I wrote in preparation for the Edmonton Make It show in November. These posts were “tweeted” about by the show organizers, and so they reached a larger audience than my blog normally does.
When I started the blog, I made a long list of ideas for possible types of posts and in all honesty, I’ve only tapped into a small portion of these. One of the big things I wanted to post more often on the blog were tutorials with step by step photo documentation of projects I completed. I also really wanted to post more about past projects, crafty and arty. I’ve been making things for years and I feel like showcasing some of my past projects would give readers better insight into where I’ve been in my creative process and the possibilities of where I might go. Plus, it’s just fun to share. Oh how I miss the days of critiques in art school.
My goals going forward with this blog is that I hope to do more tutorials and be more of a resource for your own crafty endeavors, to post regularly about past projects (including my artwork) and start another weekly Keyword Story series (to make sure I keep my keywording muscles toned). I think it would also be awesome to start featuring some of the incredibly creative people in my life.
And so we’ll see where this blog goes for the next 200 posts. Thank you so much for reading along! Not even sure how many of “you” there are out there. But no matter the number, it’s always a pleasure to write and share about my small corner of this very big world.
The end of the year is fast approaching which means that it is time to use up any remaining benefits at work. I tend to be one of those people who holds off using up benefit funds until the last quarter of the year because I’m worried that as soon as I use them up, I will come across something that I wish work could pay for (like a class).
Looking back, this year was just so crazy, I really shouldn’t be surprised that I have so much of my benefits remaining. There was no time to apply them to anything career, creative or active related in my life. So I took great (great) pleasure in ordering two-dozen new books! It was such a treat! Thankfully, throughout the year, I had been keeping a little list of books I thought would be interesting, with the notion that I might pick up a few at some point. Well, I was able to get them all and then some! The massive book order fell into two categories “career” and “creative”. I know a lot of people shudder at the thought of reading “career” related books, but one of the nice things about my job is that it is in a very creative industry, so “career” books can be just as fun as “creative” based books. I hope to give you some quick book reviews as I work my way through them all. I’ve already started reading Blogging for Bliss: Crafting Your Own Online Journal by Tara Frey, which has obvious applications right here. Interested in the rest of the book treasure? Here is the BIG list, in no particular order:
