When I first discovered the blogging world, I felt like a stalker. I peeked in on Layla, Karla, Sarah,and AnNicole’s every move. I knew Karla’s favorite paint color, took a tour of Layla’s dream house, greived with Sarah as she lost a family member, and shared in AnNicole’s joy as she went to the Blissdom conference. I never made comments. I just watched their every move. I was inspired, excited, and started losing sleep at night, just wondering what their next projects would be. They had these “linky parties” and HUNDREDS of people got involved to share ideas with each other. Then I discovered you couldn’t really be part of the party unless you had your own blog.

I knew I wanted to start my own blog, but didn’t know where to begin. I found a book by Tara Frey, called Blogging for Bliss. It looked interesting and seemed like it would have a few answers for me about how this whole blogging world really worked. I ordered the book from Barnes and Noble and couldn’t wait to get started reading it. When the book arrived, I wasn’t disappointed. It was filled with practical tips for starting a blog, writing, photography, making connections, and lots of wonderful blogs to check out for inspiration. I couldn’t have asked for a better “how to” book. My blog is not where I want it to be yet. There are still so many things I’d like to learn to do. I’m sure it will evolve as I’m more comfortable with the technical aspects of blogging. For now, I’m just enjoying the blogging bliss.

Layla Palmer is one of my favorite blog authors.
http://www.theletteredcottage.net/
Not only does she seem like the sweetest person on earth, but she’s frugal and talented. She has a new e-book available to download,called Creating an Inspired Home. She caught my attention very quickly when she talked about, “Injecting and reflecting your sprit throughout your home.” She also mentions how, “Design has an impact on our quality of life.” Those two phrases really spoke to me, because as I say on my headline, at the end of the day it’s all about home and family.

Another blogging favorite is Karla. She very well could be my BFF. “/>
Although we have very different decorating styles, (she’s coastal and I’m warm and cozy)there are so many things she does that I just love. Her photography is BEAUTIFUL and I strive to be more like her. I study the angles of her pictures and try to make mine look just as good. No luck on that yet, but I’ll keep trying. She also lives in the same state, so it’s fun to hear her write about a beautiful afternoon or how it has rained for weeks on end. I feel her joy and I feel her pain!

Sarah just gets me laughing each day.

She’s like the friend that never stops talking, always speaks the truth, and always has a new project. Her decorating style is quite like mine. She loves Ballard Design, but won’t pay their prices. She loves a good thrift store find, and she’s all about the warm and cozy colors.

These are just a few of the ladies who inspire me. My friend, Diane, is also a huge inspiration! She always has a new project. Maybe, since I can’t convince her to start a decorating blog, she’ll write about her transformations here! Diane, if you’re reading this… come join the fun!