August Blogging Schedule Update

August 23, 2017 by Barb 1 Comment

Hello, I believe it’s time for a little August blogging schedule update …

… but first, here’s a peek at my Instagram grid as of today: it’s filled with dahlias, coneflowers, cattails, globe thistles, succulents, daisies and sunflowers (may I never take you for granted ;)
Earlier this month I wrote the blog post What Happened? outlining my planned posts for August.

So far … so good. Except I’ve decided to postpone the market garden list. It’s sitting there in draft mode and I want to add a few more locations. And truthfully I got behind in my research … oops! But what fun research it is … so I will get it together!

Note: I put a calendar on my sidebar that shows which days I’ve posted, and let me tell you it’s a tremendous motivator. I look at it every morning and it’s painfully obvious there were no posts last week. But, I did publish two in the first week (pat on the back :) As you can tell, I am struggling a bit but still hanging in there.

And just a little reminder, I have a post going up tomorrow (August 24th) in collaboration with Stampington and Bella Grace Magazine and there will be a giveaway! I’ll also be sending out a newsletter with a little reminder.

Thank you for stopping by xo

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy these:

: A Different Kind of Power

: Dealing With Distraction

: Plant Your Own Garden

: Gentle Encouragement

: Late Summer Floral Arrangements

Blogging Month in Review for May

May 31, 2017 by Barb 16 Comments

Time for another blogging month in review!

I find the simple act of looking back on the month-that-was helps tremendously in planning for future blog posts and/or updates to my blog in general.

It was a month of flowers, herbs, and gardening. It was a month of learning, sharing, and putting myself out there as I worked through a blogging class. And it was a month of personal reflection on how I want to spend my time (a constant struggle.)

So I turn to my blog … my little space on the inter web … my little space that has always brought me joy and forces me to keep on learning (even if my head wants to explode at times ;) and without further ado, here we go!

Blogging Month in Review May 2017

I wrote 12 posts (compared to 8 posts in 2016)
According to Google Analytics, page views are down from May 2016 :(
My most popular post for May of 2017 is How to Care for a Fresh Rosemary Plant and shockingly, it was the same for May 2016! I wrote that post 3 years ago, which proves old content is valuable. It also tells me what people are coming to my blog for … and it isn’t pretty photos :(
It also tells me that people like gardening posts; therefore, I shall strive to serve up more gardening advice with pretty photos :)
I fixed the problem with my WordPress Gallery plugin (woo hoo for my brilliance)
I posted 25 photos to Instagram (a few were throwbacks, which I think is perfectly acceptable (ahem) and am sticking to my commitment to add a landscape image here and there. Even though people don’t respond well, I think it makes my account less claustrophobic
I took care of my electronic housecleaning as I said I would in my post A Bit of Electronic Housecleaning and am actually finding this task to be very doable, and satisfying
Kept up with my blogging class with Emily Quinton of Makelight
Sent out a newsletter

The biggest lesson I learned by doing this blogging month in review is that I need to pay attention to my most popular posts and make sure they’re in tip-top shape. So, I updated my post on caring for rosemary:

First of all, I deleted old images—images that really had nothing to do with caring for rosemary (such as focusing on the vintage pot the plant was in, and also a few Christmas shots!) I’ve been advised by my technical guy that removing images from a post does not affect ones that may have been pinned. I believe him, but I’m not advising you to do such a thing … you have to check this out for yourself. So I went back to my archives, found the original images and edited them. Then I added a few new images, including a properly sized image for pinning
I rewrote the text to make my instructions as clear as possible
At the time I wrote the original post, I wasn’t into SEO, so I updated keywords, meta description, and added appropriate links
I tweaked the title, but NOT the perma-link. Do NOT tweak the permalink unless you are a technical expert and know how to redirect posts … I am not an expert
Then I pinned, tweeted, and posted to Facebook

I also learned that nothing is ever going to be perfect; good enough is good enough; and that life goes on.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you in June xo

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy these:

: Top 5 Perennials for Partial Shade

: 3 Tips for Blogging Regularly

: 30 Ideas to Make June Magical

Why Would I Start a Blog?

May 28, 2017 by Barb 3 Comments

Why would I start a blog? What could I possibly have to offer that would be any different from the thousands upon thousands of other blogs out there in the world?

That’s a question I’m very happy I didn’t ask myself (in 2010) when I started this journey!

Turns out, there are many reasons to blog, but Keeping With the Times was born because I literally wanted to “keep with the times”. I hadn’t worked outside the home for many years and felt out of the loop. I wanted to learn how to do this mysterious blogging “thing” I’d been hearing so much about.The technical aspects of blogging, and dealing with an on-line world which is ever-changing, challenges and inspires me. I’ve learned the ins and outs of social media. I’ve studied other blogs, asked questions, and then tried things for myself. I knew I wanted to have great photos to post, so I purchased a DSLR and went from not knowing how to turn the thing on, to shooting in Manual mode.

Keeping With the Times is where I practice my mantra “learn something new, try something different” (convince yourself that you have no limits) a quote by Brian Tracy.

While I may not be convinced “that I have no limits“ I do know that I can learn something new, and I can try something different, and this has not only changed the way I look at life, it has changed the way I live life. Incredibly, having a blog has given me permission to take on all sorts of exciting new ventures.

Should I buy that new camera? Yes.
Should I take that photography/editing class? Yes!
Should I attend that amazing retreat? Yes, yes, and yes!

Now when I talk about my experiences, I like to tell people “so far, nothing has blown up” in other words, don’t be afraid to try something.

I’m reclusive, and a bit of a homebody, but after seven years of blogging I’ve become much more flexible. When I have to leave the comfort of my home, and the familiarity of my surroundings, I pack my computer, a few treasured inspirational books, and hit the road with a sense of adventure rather than fear.

An airport terminal, hotel lobby, or hotel room becomes my office. I grab a hot coffee, find a comfortable place to sit, and connect to the Internet.

Instantly, there’s my blog. It greets me like an old friend, and as I look over a few posts (there’s my beautiful garden, my lovely barnwood side table, that pot of lavender I couldn’t resist, and the yummy Rhubarb Strawberry Coffee Cake I made last summer), I’m filled with a sense of accomplishment and pride

I may decide to share a moment with my readers and take a “from where I stand shot.” My feet are in an airport, friends, and I can’t wait to show you where they’re going! It may be Toronto to attend Blissdom, a conference with my daughter, or Arizona where I’ll be meeting several blogging friends for the first time.

Or, perhaps it’s California to attend “Gather California” along with twelve beautiful souls from around the world!

Attending Gather California in November of 2014 changed my life in ways I never thought possible. In the company of like-minded people, I felt I was seen, heard, and validated, and let me tell you that is powerful. I made lifelong friends, forged strong connections, and broadened my horizons. To read more about my experience from Gather you might want to check out my post Why I Was Crying in the Shower

Starting and maintaining a blog is hard work … hard, but rewarding. I get up in the morning with new ideas spinning around in my head, eager to get out there and capture the perfect image to express my love of food, photography, blogging, and life. There isn’t enough time in my day to accomplish everything I’m dreaming about.

This is reason enough for me to blog. I do have something to offer the world. It may not be huge or earth shattering, but its mine, and I’m very passionate about it.

A big thank you and shout out to Emily and Stef at Makelight for encouraging us all to live our best lives and then to blog about it! I’ve enjoyed their blogging class more than I can say!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

February First and a Bit of (Electronic) Housecleaning

February 1, 2017 by Barb 8 Comments

Hello February, and welcome!

This year I’ve decided to start each month off with a bit of (electronic) housecleaning—but first, lets examine the colours of my world: shades of white, grey, brown, and even black.

There’s a world of research on colour psychology: white is deemed pure, sincere, and happy. Grey is subdued, quiet and reserved. Brown is rugged, and black signifies fear, grief, or sophistication.

How does this photo make you feel?

The soft tones and similar hues make me feel calm, happy, and safe. It’s also causes a desire to buy flowers ;)

This year, I’ve decided that at the beginning of each month (after I’ve reviewed the previous month) I will:

completely clear out my “Current Import” folder in Lightroom, placing any unorganized photos into their proper previous month’s sub-folders (I usually do this on an ongoing basis, but at the end of the month I will make sure to clear them out)
back up my phone, copy all photos and videos to Lightroom, and, as I find time (i.e. waiting in airports etc.) selectively delete most of them (off said phone)
make sure all documents are in their proper folders (as in clean off my desktop)
back everything up to my monster EHD
clean out my inbox: make sure I’ve made all replies and then trash and burn

So far, so good :)

7 Powerful Blog Goals for 2017

January 1, 2017 by Barb 5 Comments

Even though I’d known for quite some time that January 1st was fast approaching ;) I didn’t write down any blog goals for 2017 … until this morning … oh my goodness … ya gotta laugh sometimes.

But first, a big hello, and a Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had a lovely New Year’s Eve and are now ready to face the new year head on!

I myself am getting a wee bit excited.

It literally took me all day to get this photo, which in turn, led to this blog post (late in the evening I might add.)

7 powerful blog goals for 2017, lightroom, photoshop, camera, tripod

The text for this image is really and truly printed on paper … not added in Photoshop. I plan to share a bit about my process this week.

Of course I wasn’t actually physically working on this photo for 12 hours, but all day my mind was spinning with ideas, and plans, and goals, and … well, you get the picture!

I’m quite thrilled because for the last 10 days I’ve been in a funk due to a cold/flu that left me exhausted and drained. I was sleeping 8-10 hours and feeling a tad sorry for myself (and my lost mojo.) Even so, I was constantly working in the background; taking photos, scribbling notes, writing draft posts, and fluffing up my blog … I just wasn’t feeling too thrilled with any of it.

I’ve also been taking a few classes and doing a lot of thinking which led me to come up with this tiny but powerful list:

Blog Goals for 2017

Take risks.
Be brave.
Take classes. Learn. Work Hard. Grow.
Share.

I have a much longer list scribbled on a scrap of paper, but some things you really need to keep to yourself, if for no other reason than to avoid disappointing anyone (self included.)

I will tell you that:

I won’t be posting Sunday Sundries on the blog anymore, however it will continue on Instagram with the hashtag #sunday_sundries. I also have a new hashtag #stilllifeisreallife, and I’ll be combining both tags for the features.
I’m working on a new series to post here on Sundays.
This Wednesday I’ll be doing a review of my new tripod (squee!)
I plan to get Blogging Bits and Bytes back on track.
And I’m not going to get ahead of myself with any more promises tonight ;)

So there you have it! 7 powerful blog goals for 2017 and a few easy promises!

How to Double Pageviews in 30 Days

November 30, 2016 by Barb 19 Comments

With 2 years of experience participating in National Blog Post Month, I believe I have enough experience/evidence to give advice on how to double pageviews in 30 days.

I’m a huge believer in blogs and blogging and bloggers.

People are blogging for many reasons. For some it’s simply a creative outlet, for others it’s a business, and sometimes the two collide. But whatever the reason a person is blogging, I think they really do want to be heard. I know I do.

In the past I used to judge my readership by the number of comments I received. Well, that seems to be the past … not many people are commenting and I wrote about that in my post Blog Comment Pressures which ironically got a lot of comments!

I still enjoy blogging and my blog is my baby. Last February I confessed to a failed attempt at keeping up my blogging schedule in Have You Hugged Your Blog Today?

My main message in that post was that it’s OK to fail. Just get up, hug yourself, and keep on keepin’ on.

So what is the secret on how to double pageviews in 30 days?

It’s kind of simple … Post every day. Simple, but not easy. And the effect only lasts as long as you keep on posting.

Both Novembers where I posted every single day, my pageviews doubled. How do I know that? Google Analytics. I have solid evidence that when I posted every day my pageviews doubled over the month before, as well as the previous Novembers (when I didn’t post every day as in 2014 and earlier.) I even had the hubs corroborate the evidence.

Was it easy? NO. Some days it was painful.

But has it been satisfying? Tremendously so. Perhaps I can only say that now that I’ve reached my goal of posting every single day in November for #NaBloPoMo. Some days were downright awful, but when I look back I can see that I shared some pretty kick-a** posts (yes this Grandmother of 5 swears ;)

I wrote posts that I most likely would not have shared otherwise, and will probably bring in traffic for years to come … how do I know that? Past experience and Google Analytics.

So there you have it. The secret on how to double your pageviews in 30 days is to post every day for 30 days.

OK. So I posted every day for 30 days … what else did I do? There is always more to the story, right? I’ll share that in an upcoming post. But let me just say, that for the most part it was about posting every.single.day.

Thank you to anyone who followed me on this journey; leaving comments and clicking “like”. I appreciate you more than you could know.

Day 30 of Posting Every Day in November! High Fives all around.

#NaBloPoMo

Showing Up

November 18, 2016 by Barb 6 Comments

Eighty percent of success is showing up.
Woody Allen

Oh hey! it’s November 18th and I’ve managed to show up on my blog every day this month (as per my #NaBloPoMo promise to myself.)

Some posts have been rather large and took a long time to create as in my Holiday Tablescape Ideas. Others were mediocre, and others were … meh. But I showed up and I have to admit it feels pretty good.

I almost always show up on Instagram, usually on Twitter, and sometimes on Facebook. And even though my blog often takes a back seat, it’s still my baby.

I had to giggle when I googled for this quote this morning … I’m loving the updated proverb :)

However I hope Google doesn’t know that for the most part I’ve thrown SEO to the wind … otherwise I would never get a post written. A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do! EDIT: I think I know Google doesn’t know ;)

And many thanks to my friends Kim Klassen and Aeleen Sclater for including my photo in their #fouriadorefriday grid today!

Now I must get going … the hubs and I both are suffering from food poisoning, we have a condo to close up, and we have a plane to catch tonight … blech.

See you on the other side!

Tips For Working When Away From Home

November 7, 2016 by Barb 4 Comments

Today I have a few tips for working when you’re away from home.

Now some people may not call what I do “work” but that’s how I view it. More and more I find myself referring to what I do as work, as in “I have work to do”.

Just because I love it, and it’s my passion, and I’m not earning a living from it, does not make it any less important (to me.) Or any less work for that matter. I get up every day knowing I either have to style photos, take photos, edit photos, write blog posts, or all of the above.

And more and more I’m doing sponsored posts. Not huge sponsored posts, but important sponsored posts, and when I accept a collaboration from a company, I want to do my best.

Hard work pays off. I recently was paid for an image I took a few years ago … paid quite a bit actually, and to say I was dumbfounded would be an understatement.

My point is: show up, do the work, let it go, and you just never know what wonderful things may happen.

I could not have known when I took the photo of the trees on the lake that morning, just how much it would match this one I took whilst in Arizona ;) too fun!

We travel a lot (it seems) and if I used that as an excuse I would have had to quit “my job” a long time ago. So how do I manage it?

Tips For Working When Away From Home

Prepare as much as possible before you leave home. One weekend I went into overdrive, doing all my house and yard work. I made a list of everything I wanted to finish up before we left and methodically crossed off tasks as I finished them. But that’s not the best part. The best part is that it left the following Monday and Tuesday wide open for me to get a few still life images under my belt. Images that carried me through the first week we were away. It’s all I did from the moment I got up, until around 5:00pm when the light was fading, and so was I.
I work strictly on a laptop. My lifestyle has dictated that. Edit photos while on the road. In airports, on planes. Know your camera, your editing programs, and how to work with Lightroom Mobile. You see? it’s work, it’s preparation. (ps … I have a large screen at home and one here in Arizona.)
We have a condo here in Arizona so I’ve been able to collect a few props and backgrounds. Nothing too large, spectacular, or expensive. I’ve gathered props from local craft shows, thrift stores and garage sales. That makes it easy to give them away when I’m done with them. I simply donate them back.
Make it a priority. If making and taking still life images is important to you, make sure your significant others know it and respect it. Set a time that you know works best for you, and claim that time. Make no apologies.
OK. So set a time, but also set a time limit. I can’t be doing this all day. It would be unfair, and I don’t want to.
When I travel by car, I often carry this wood photography background, it’s been a lifesaver. I actually have three! One stays at our home on the lake, one is my travelling background, and I have one here in Arizona!

Alrighty then, my time is up. We’re heading out for the day … the beautiful desert awaits.

#NaBloPoMo

Lightroom Love

November 5, 2016 by Barb 1 Comment

I’m pretty chuffed that I can now title a post “lightroom love” as in now I get it, I truly get it!

I’ve been OK with using Lightroom for quite some time, but the struggle was real, people! The struggle was real.

When I wrote My Struggles with Lightroom in 2012, I could not have been more confused, and I could not have disliked the organizational part of Lightroom more.

However, armed with some of Kim Klassen’s helpful and information-packed classes, I slowly got the hang of it (I can’t even tell you how many times I went over the free “Leap into Lightroom” class) but it was many, many … many times. And even recently when I realized my workflow had taken a wrong turn somewhere along the line, I revisited it.

So why do I feel the need to shout it from the rooftops today? Well, because this past October I started a new catalog and file system all.by.myself!

I’d been using the same catalog for two years, which isn’t a bad thing. It was pretty well-organized, but I felt the need to start fresh for 2017, so to make good and sure I was going to be using it in 2017, I started in October of 2016 (he he.)

You can see the name at the top of this screenshot “LIGHTROOM OCT 2016-DEC 2017 CATALOG.lrcat”.

I’m not going to go into my file structure or workflow because I think that’s something a person has to figure out for themselves.

However, I will divulge one little secret, and that is; I’m not big on keywords … they drive me a bit bonkers. Bonkers is not good.

Before I switched catalogs I made sure I that:

I studied Kim’s lessons thoroughly (again)
the old catalog was organized as possible (and backed up of course)
I had exported all images I was going to use for Instagram or my blog so I wouldn’t have to be switching back and forth, causing mass confusion in the process
I knew how to set up sync with Lightroom Mobile (again), that part scared me because I viewed it as a hassle

I started this process at the beginning of October, and today I made the commitment.

It takes time and courage … and I found I had both :)

#NaBloPoMo

Blog Comment Pressures

August 5, 2016 by Barb 43 Comments

Are blog comment pressures stopping you from visiting blogs?

Hello! and how is your summer going?

I’m having a great summer, but I have to admit my blogging schedule has gone off the rails, and the main reason is Instagram. Plain and simple: I post a photo on Instagram and the interaction is almost overwhelming (I love it), but on my blog, not so much …

…. and the reason for that? I am not interacting on other blogs as much as I used to …

This is not a complaint, its a fact. If you want interaction … you have to interact, which is what I do on Instagram because it’s so easy to follow a beautiful account, admire the photo, and then a quick double-tap, and maybe even a two-word comment and you’re done. That’s it, that’s all. Fun and easy!

So when the sweet Linda Hoye mentioned me on her blog and I received a few extra comments from other bloggers, I was thrilled! I answered each comment here on my blog, then I visited their blogs and left a comment, as well as a “thank you for visiting me” and I truly enjoyed the interaction.

But … it got me to thinking … what if people are reading my blog, but don’t have the time or energy to write a detailed comment (which I totally get btw). What if some days you feel like writing a comment, and other days you just want to press a button (or not ;)

I won’t know you’ve been here and it can get discouraging.

So I’m trying something new … a LIKE button! The one I’m using is LikeBtn a WordPress Plugin.

It’s an experiment … I’m not looking for thousands of “likes” and I’m not asking you to share, I simply want to know if you’ve been here! A little encouragement goes a long way and who knows where it will take me? I’m going to be reviving my Blogging Bits and Bytes series in September and this will be one of the first things I want to talk about.

Click the “Like” Button ↓ if you like ;)

Blogging Bits and Bytes: Gentle Encouragement

March 4, 2016 by Barb 8 Comments

As part of my Blogging Bits and Bytes series I randomly send quick notes to subscribers containing what I call “gentle encouragement”.

The simple definition of encouragement is:

♥ the act of making something more appealing or more likely to happen
♥ something that makes someone more determined, hopeful, or confident
♥ something that makes someone more likely to do something

This month I ‘fessed up as to how I was doing on my goals:

TRUTH:
I succeeded on keeping an editorial calendar, but I dropped the ball on my goal of posting every day in February, and you can read about it here.

REVISED GOAL:
I’m now aiming to post twice a week until I get back on my feet (one post will be my Sunday Sundries series.)

Blogging Bits and Bytes: Gentle Encouragement

In times when I’m having trouble blogging, I find doing a bit of blog housekeeping is akin to cleaning my house and putting it in order (which always makes me feel better.)

So here are five things to think about when it comes to blog housekeeping:

Stand back a few feet and look your home page. Examine it on your computer; I use a large screen, and a laptop, so I check both. Now, do the same on an iPad, and a phone … have a friend check it on their devices. Does it fit on the screen? Is it easy to read? More and more people are reading blogs on their mobile devices and if it’s hard to read … well, quite honestly, they are going to move on. As well, Google does not like it. To analyze your blog, try this Mobile-Friendly Test. I’m only asking you to think about this one because to switch to a mobile-friendly theme is not a quick fix, and I had a professional do it for me. He recommended Lifestyle Pro, a mobile responsive Genesis theme. OK! Let’s move on to four gentler ideas!
Spiff up your header. Add a seasonal touch. Last month I changed the colour of my font, and added little hearts.
Check your sidebar! Do you have widgets that are no longer relevant? Old memes that have faded away? Remove them!! They are clutter, plain and simple.
Worse yet, do you have widgets that are too large for the sidebar? Ones that stick out and don’t seem to fit? I’m assuming you knew how to put them there in the first place, so you most likely know how to resize them … take them into an editing program and reduce the dimensions, then add them back to your blog. If you have questions, shoot me an email.
Try a new background! Backgrounds are a personal preference, but they are fun to play around with. Changing them keeps things fresh (but remember, keep it simple).

If you keep your blog clean, and switch things around from time-to-time, readers may not realize why, but when they visit, they know someone is home.

If you would like to receive my Blogging Bits and Bytes newsletter you can subscribe here. You will also be able to access all previous newsletters on this page.

If you would like to receive only updates from my blog, you can subscribe from the right side panel on my home page.

… lotsa “Ifs” there :)

Have a wonderful day!!

Have you Hugged Your Blog Today?

February 18, 2016 by Barb 26 Comments

So, what in the world do I mean by “have you hugged your blog today?”

Recently I wrote a post “Hello February” wherein I announced to the world that I was going to blog every day, just like I did in November for #nablopomo.

But now I’m here, hat in hand, to announce that I have not blogged every day this month. Not.even.close. In fact, one night I purposely decided I would NOT post, and told my hubby I was done. He was so distressed (bless him xo).

So here’s the deal. Despite having been on a bit of a holiday (a lovely sunny holiday) and then coming home to nice weather, I went into a slump … I lost my mojo big time. Nothing seemed worth blogging about. I felt indecisive about what photos to post, and what to say about them. It hasn’t been fun. I kept posting to Instagram but I’m ashamed to admit it became a source of great stress and frustration … nobody likes my work she cried (no – actually you didn’t like your work Barb). So strange … I wasn’t doing anything different, I just wasn’t loving it.

So what was I doing with my time?

After spending a whole day putting one foot in front of the other, alternately napping and sitting on the sofa eating nuts and bolts (actually I only ate the cheerios) and watching episodes of “The Young and Restless) I went to bed (very early).

I’d like to say I’m completely recovered, but I’m not. It must be the mid-winter blahs. I’ve talked to several people who are having the same issues, so that does help to know I’m not alone. I feel so guilty because my life is good people!

Which brings me to this; maybe I should be asking if you’ve hugged your blogger today, your own blogger self?

Take her out for a walk. Go get a good haircut. Rummage through an old book store. Don’t spend too much money. Try to eat something healthy. But above all, just let your blogger self be.

But the good news is, I’m working on a Blogging Bits and Bytes newsletter to give you some ideas on how to hug your blog and I’ll be including the word art … yay! at least I made some word art :)

I think I’m going to make it … thank you for listening!

Hello February!

February 1, 2016 by Barb 7 Comments

Hello February! ♥

For some reason I love February … perhaps because it’s my birthday month!? and 2016 is a leap year, how fun!

For me, it’s also the beginning of another month of blogging every day like I did in November for NaBloPoMo. I must be nuts … but then again, maybe not.

I’m loosely following along with BlogHer and their monthly prompts. The first prompt is passion. Find a passion and pursue it. Maybe make it into a hobby.

I’m already pursuing photography and blogging, both of which take up a large chunk of my time, but lately I’ve been remembering how much I love word art.

I love to use it, and I love to make it. So this month I’m going to concentrate on the joy of making word art (and sharing it).

but I won’t be forgetting the joy of photography …

I’m also going to live this month as artfully as possible. Living an artful life is my intention for 2016, but what exactly does that mean?

Well to help figure it out, I ordered “Living Artfully: Create the Life You Imagine” by Sandra Magsamen. Many thanks to Michelle of Knee Deep in Dandelions for encouraging me to try this book. I’ll let you know how it goes. I ordered a used, hard cover copy from Amazon and am expecting it to arrive on my doorstep any day … can’t wait!

I hope you have a love-filled month! If you would like to download this word art as a printable, please click the heart ♥ and use it as a sheet to write out your February blogging goals!

Day 1 of blogging every day in February.

Blogging Bits and Bytes: Setting Goals

January 28, 2016 by Barb 23 Comments

Setting goals is an amazing way to keep on track no matter what it is you want to accomplish.

Have you found it hard to get back on your feet after the busyness of December and the slump of January? I know I have.

I was going over my archives and it seems I posted 9 times in December, and it’s been about the same for January. Not bad … hmmm … but I want to post more frequently.

So, with a new month around the corner, I’ve decided that I’m going to start setting goals:

My first goal is to post every single day in February.

This is what I did in November for National Blog Posting Month. In a weird way I find it gives me permission … permission to post the everyday “stuff” along with the more meatier content.

And I want to let you in on a little secret. During the month of November when I posted every day, my traffic increased by a whopping 27% from previous month(s) as well as from the month of December, which is when I typically see my highest traffic. I must admit I was pretty surprised when I saw those numbers in Google Analytics … so I guess you have to post something if you want readers ;) and it doesn’t have to be earth-shattering.

My second goal is to use my editorial calendar.

Every September I purchase a planner and by February it’s buried beneath a pile of magazines and well, you know: outta sight, outta mind … . It’s too bad because it could be a real life-saver for me. Not only for scheduling blog posts, but if I wrote all those cryptic notes-to-self in one place, at least I’d be able to find them (reading them is another thing … so today I vow to write more clearly and concisely as well.)

My favourite planner type is an 8 1/2 x 11 Flexi Planner from Orange Circle Studio. I like the large size, but they come in smaller sizes as well. My favourite thing about it is the coil binder—having it lay flat is essential. I also like the double format for each month: large squares of the month view with another section for writing more extensive notes (by month.) I can’t quite remember where I found this one … perhaps Walmart, or Chapters Indigo … however, now that I’ve found their site, I may start ordering right from them.

Do you use a planner? Do you have a favourite? and if you do, why is it your favourite? Do you use it for setting goals?

Also, starting this month I’ll also be sending out little emails with what I call “Gentle Encouragement“.

The simple definition of encouragement is:

♥ the act of making something more appealing or more likely to happen
♥ something that makes someone more determined, hopeful, or confident
♥ something that makes someone more likely to do something

… but please don’t worry, I won’t inundate you with email :)

Gentle Encouragement: Setting Goals

Set a few blogging goals this month and write them down.
Commit to writing a certain number of posts. Maybe it’s every day in February, maybe it’s twice a week. It’s up to you of course.
Find a planner you love, and use it. Write down ideas, thoughts, and musings. Use it as a journal, an address book, an appointment book. If a friend calls, make note of what they’re talking about so you remember. If nothing else, simply write down their dog’s name … the idea is to use it so often that you can’t be without it. Keep everything in it … like receipts, clothing tags, photos (something like a Smash Book) and I guarantee that by the end of the year you’ll have a treasure that you never saw coming … and you may also be blogging more regularly. I’ll keep you up-to-date on how it’s going for me. If you decide to do this, and would like to share your posts, please feel free to add them to the link-up here as we’d all love to see them!

Have a wonderful day!

PS:

I included the above word art as a free printable in my Blogging Bits and Bytes newsletter. If you’d like to receive future newsletters and access to the occasional freebie, you can sign up here.

Looking forward to February …

I believe I can do it ;)

National Blog Posting Month – 15 Tips for Surviving It

November 30, 2015 by Barb 14 Comments

Today I’m celebrating and sharing 15 tips on how I not only survived, but thrived, during National Blog Posting Month!

Woo Hoo! Happy Happy Dance over here … I did it! I posted every single day in November.

High Fives all around. Time to party!

I wish I could say I had been organized and prepared, with tons of content squirrelled away, ready to go … but I cannot.

I did not even know I was going to participate until November 1st when I saw Xanthe Berkeley’s post on Instagram … in fact, I’d never even heard of National Blog Posting Month. Then I saw that Kim Klassen was also participating, and it sounded like a great challenge, so I jumped right in with my first post NaBloPoMo Otherwise Known as Madness. It seems like ages ago … .

So how did I do it? First of all I was determined … then …

15 Tips on Surviving National Blog Posting Month

Commit. Set your intention. Be positive … see it as an exercise that will strengthen your blogging muscle.
Give yourself permission on really hard days to simply post a photo and say “Hi … how are you? I’m so happy you’re here reading my blog, thank you!”
Use prompts. I used one prompt from the BlogHer prompt pool. My post What I Did This Morning (and most mornings) and What Does Goatsbeard Have to Do With It (take that Google) was a result … a bit silly and goofy, but I got it done (and had a little fun.)
Rely on your strengths. My strength is photography. I have no problem taking a photo a day. Once I have a photo, the rest will follow.
Dig into the photo archives and bring content out of the dark that may never have made it otherwise. Don’t worry that it may be old content. I shared a mushroom and wild rice soup recipe I’d been meaning to post for months and months.
Start first thing in the morning (or when you feel the most productive). You may not finish it, but by the time you go back to it later in the day it won’t be so daunting.
Write at the same time every day.
Set a time limit. This eliminates agonizing – get it done already. Ignore SEO. SEO drove me crazy this month. I’ll explain later … hey! another post idea!
Write about what you love. Write down everything you can think of – throw it on the page – editing comes later.
Get that title figured out.
Edit photos in down time.
Try to work ahead by at least one day (I’ve already admitted I did not do this).
Write a heartfelt post, reveal some inner thoughts, share your vulnerabilities.
Just start. Follow leads. Search online. Join memes. Instagram is endless inspiration.
On an extremely busy or hectic day, put in a “place holder” … a paragraph with just enough info, explain your dilemma, then go back later (maybe even a day later) and elaborate. At least you have a blog post holder for that day. I would not recommend doing this too often … once maybe when you are desperate (which I was one Sunday … we were visiting family and I didn’t want to lose one precious moment).

So there you have it! How I survived and thrived whilst posting every day for 30 days. Will I do it again? I am not sure :)

DAY 30 #NABLOPOMO WOOT!

Renaming Photos in Lightroom

November 20, 2015 by Barb 4 Comments

Renaming photos in Lightroom is very easy, and today I’m going to share this process for my Blogging Bits and Bytes series. You can find links to previous newsletters, etc. if you check out the tab on the Main Menu here on my blog.

I’m moving on to crafting a blog post from conception to completion. Keep in mind that it may sound like too much work, but I promise you, it’s worth it. You just need to be organized.

In the 7 Ideas for Kickstarting a Blog Post I revealed my top secret for “getting it done” which was to simply come up with a name for your post. You may have the idea, you may have the photos, and you may even have started writing it. But for me, once I settle on a name, it all comes together so much better since my work flow is smoother: I know my keyword, and I know how to proceed on renaming photos.

The next few lessons are about crafting a blog post, and each lesson will build on the previous one. I have a Crafting a Blog Post checklist which I’ll share with you at the end of this series. I use WordPress (self-hosted) but these tips are applicable to any platform.

So here’s the plan for this (imaginary) blog post. I came up with an idea, the photos, a name, and a keyword:

Name: Thanksgiving Table Setting Ideas
Keyword (s): thanksgiving table setting

Now it’s time to show you how I re-name my photos, and I have a video for you! Ta da! Always living and learning here! The video is about re-naming photos only. It’s not about the edits, or resizing, or using Lightroom. I simply am doing the work in Lightroom.

Renaming Photos in Lightroom

*Please make sure you’re viewing this in HD and the expanded screen.

*

Day 20 #nablopomo

Thirty Days Hath November and Nablopomo

November 16, 2015 by Barb 8 Comments

OK, so it just occurred to me that we are halfway through November, and that means halfway through nablopomo as well. And bonus … I just realized there’s only 30 days!

I’ve posted every day for 15 days, and that’s a record for me … hope it’s not sounding like a broken record around here …

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November.
All the rest have 31,
Except for February all alone,
It has 28 each year,’
but 29 each leap year.
Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November
All the rest have 31,
Except for February.
Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November
All the rest have thirty-one
But February’s a different one
~Mother Goose~

nablopomo, November Leaves, Keeping With the Times

kk_BurntAlmond

kk_Eve

Please don’t get me wrong, I am not wishing away my time. On the contrary. I want to hold on to November and all the beauty it offers.

I’m actually feeling pretty energized by this exercise, and so far there has been only one day where I truly struggled.

Ideas are spinning around in my head all the time and this has given me permission to release them … even if they’re not perfect, so

I have a recipe I’ve been meaning to publish but I keep putting it on the back burner (snort).
I have an update on my “Blogging Bits and Bytes”.
And, I have this fear that if I miss a day I might have to apologize … that’s enough to keep me awake at night ;)

Day 16 #nablopomo

What I Did This Morning (and most mornings) and What Does Goatsbeard Have to Do With It (take that Google)

November 9, 2015 by Barb 6 Comments

So what happens when you go to bed at 8:30 pm?

… you get up at 4:00 am.ugh. that was me this morning. and the answer is … what? you get goofy? umm yeah … but I’ll get to that in a minute.

Now it’s almost 4:00 pm and I’m just getting around to writing my daily blog post for #nablopomo. I couldn’t think of anything to write so I popped over to BlogHer to check out the prompts. The question for today is “What is the first thing you do every single day (I mean, after you hit the snooze button)? When did that step in your routine begin?”

OK. So I guess the first thing I do (or at least the first thing I do that you want to hear about) is I make coffee, and then drink it. That started in about grade 10 … . Post done. Check.

Not.

I must elaborate. Today I got up at 4:00 because I couldn’t get back to sleep. Which means I probably was awake at 3:30. Ugh. Oh well. I made coffee then picked up my phone and started checking IG. After a bit I thought I should post a photo. So, (because it was still pitch black outside) I had to go into the archives where I pulled out this image of Goatsbeard I’ve been sitting on since late August.

So I’ve determined that, when you go to bed at 8:30 and get up at 4:00, you:

Write silly posts with really long titles which Google hates.
Write posts that score BAD on the SEO scale. If fact the SEO of this post is N/A. I don’t even have a red dot, it’s black.
Bring things out of the archives (for better or worse).
Have a bit of fun.

Day 9 #nablopomo

NaBloPoMo Otherwise Known as Madness

November 1, 2015 by Barb 13 Comments

Little did I know when I woke up this morning, I would find myself committing to NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) on BlogHer.com. I tend to feel most inspired when I first get out of bed, which may explain why I’ve jumped in so impulsively, plus I immediately thought it would tie in beautifully with my Blogging Bits and Bytes series.

I won’t try to explain the round-about-way I found this challenge … it confuses even me … but to recap:

I’m going to post daily on my blog for the month of November.
I’m going to participate with BlogHer only as much as I am able. I am not going to sweat it. But there’s lots of great info over there – you should check it out.
Every post will not be a blockbuster (we talked about that).
Some days (maybe most days) it will be a photo, and a quick wave before I take off on some adventure.

If you’re thinking of jumping in – do not stress that you’re starting late … it does not matter. What does matter is that you use this to stretch your creative muscle. Dig back into your archives and bring forth the posts that are sitting there, waiting to see the light of day. Don’t worry about BlogHer or anyone else. Just do this.

I’ve been reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert who says over and over if you have an idea and don’t run with it, someone else will. Well, there are thousands of people running with this idea, but at least I’m one of them. There’s room for all of us here.

The next Blogging Bits and Bytes newsletter is scheduled to go out early next week but if you missed the first two, you can find them on the Blogging Bits and Bytes page (check the tab at the top of my blog.)

And I’ll be back later with my Sunday Sundries feature! TWO posts in one day!

3 Tips for Blogging Regularly

October 15, 2015 by Barb 27 Comments

Today I have 3 tips on how I keep blogging regularly. I’ve been blogging for five years and my schedule developed rather intuitively … it just feels right, and it works for me.

*Blogging Bits and Bytes” newsletter subscribers will have already received this information, as well as a free Lightroom Template (for personal use only).

*free Lightroom template for current subscribers

I read a few interesting posts and comments generated by the first newsletter I sent. One that caught my attention was from Petra of Sharing my Reflections. A certain subject was brought up in the comments, and Petra answered with something I’ve always thought but never had the courage to say! Here it is:

Susan, thank you for the praise. Once I read somewhere that a blogger should never start their post saying they are sorry for not posting that long and I heartily agree with that. I also used to think I should apologize when posting after longer time than usually but I’ve changed my attitude. Firstly, I would have to apologize all the time, and secondly, it’s really annoying when you read these apologies on other blogs, exactly as you’ve mentioned. We all have our lives, not just the blogging, right?

Petra

Oh my goodness … every time someone apologizes I cringe, which I why I sneakily wrote in my first newsletter “You are the boss of your blog. NO apologies OK?” I didn’t have the nerve to say what not to apologize about. Ha! that was it! Thank you Petra.

My schedule is quite loose. There have been weeks where I’ve blogged every day, and a (very) few where I haven’t blogged at all … yikes! So I did a quick calculation (keep in mind I’m not a genius mathematician) but so far this year I’ve averaged 3 posts per week. Interesting, because I start to feel uncomfortable if I don’t get at least one post up during the week as well as one on Sunday. So my gut tells me 3 posts per week is best, 2 is OK.

So here are my top three tips on how I continue to blog regularly:

Every post does not have to be a blockbuster. You don’t have to write a novel, a poem, be wise, or have secret inside information every single time! No. A simple “hello, here’s what I was up to last week, and here’s a pretty photo to go with it” will be enough most of the time. One week I wrote 5 posts about a trip we took. Not earth-shattering, but I now have a journal of that trip which is part of what my blog is about. Remembering my life.
Create a series. It’s a great way to keep on track. It could be weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly. But it’s something. And it doesn’t have to last forever and ever. If after a few weeks you find interest is flagging, perhaps it’s time to switch gears. Go with it. I’ve had several series that ended, and at first I felt it was a failure. Not. In fact, I now start a series with the end in mind.
Create one big post every so often. Put as much effort into it as possible. It could be a crafty tutorial, a behind-the-scenes description of a photo shoot, a recipe … teach your readers something! Then, after you hit publish, start promoting it. I tweet it, post it to Facebook, Pinterest, and sometimes Instagram. I also have a list of blogs I link up with when they have their parties (but remember, you should only link a project once.) Then I keep promoting it. If I have a post that seems to resonate with people, I’ll promote it weekly as well as yearly (if it’s seasonal.) Just because a post is a year old, doesn’t mean it’s not relevant. It most likely is. My 5 Wardrobe Ideas (for Women of a Certain Age) has been popular, so I’ve already pinned my “pin-worthy” image more than once.

Just a note on #3. Why bother to promote? I do not get tons of traffic, and I am not making money on my blog, so why would I bother to promote a post? The short answer is that it’s fun! and it’s encouraging! When I see that my stats have gone up on a certain day, I feel good about it … new people are finding my blog, and hopefully liking it enough to return.

#3 is how I grow my readership, and you never know who is watching! I’ve had a few sponsored posts by some great companies and I enjoyed the attention and the little bit of merchandise that came with it. A few (bigger) bloggers have come across my blog, liked my stuff, and promoted it on their site. Recently one of my favourite magazines noticed my blog, and now I have an article in the upcoming winter issue of Artful Blogging (my heart and head bursts with that one!)

Everyone says they are not about lots of readers … that’s fine, but we want some right? But don’t stress about numbers. Enjoy them … big, small, huge, minuscule, medium. One new reader is one new reader.

So, have you ever written a “big post”? one that teaches? Did you promote it in some way to grow your readership?

If so, how’d you do it? I’d love to hear! I’ve created an Inlinkz link-up on the “Blogging Bits and Bytes” page if you want to link any posts related to to this series.

I hope this will encourage you to define what blogging regularly means for you, and then to become comfortable with it. Your schedule will be different than mine, and you need to decide what works for you. It may be one post a week, it may be five. But it’s your blog so don’t apologize!

I’m off to do a bit of promoting …

#BlogShareLearn at Living With Batman

Blogging Background Bits

September 30, 2015 by Barb 27 Comments

Hello, and welcome to “Blogging Bits and Bytes” a free mini-series designed to motivate and inspire you on your blogging journey. I’m thrilled you decided to join me!

Blogging Background Bits, Keeping With the Times, Barb Brookbank

Photo: Barb Brookbank, Bouquet: Barb Brookbank, Composition: Brenda Kearns, Lettering: Kylie Letters, Location: Kim Klassen | The Studio, Rivers Manitoba

If you subscribe to the Blogging Bits and Bytes newsletter, a note will have arrived in your inbox which included a prompt for writing a blog post as well as a little freebie download. I haven’t decided on the exact length of the series, but I’m aiming for the end of November.

I believe there’s a place for everyone in this vast blogging world, and I refuse to listen to the naysayers who declare that blogging is dying/dead. Changing, yes … but not dead.

To that end, I want to share what blogging means to me, and why I do it. In the process, I hope to inspire you on your personal blogging journey. Although this is not a technical course, a few techie bits will be included.

Quite likely most of you either have a blog already, or have some basic understanding of what a blog is. It is simply a frequently updated online journal. And it’s your journal, to do with whatever you please.

YOU are the boss of your blog. NO apologies OK?

Now, for my first bit of advice if you are just starting out and trying to define your blog. Consider the name very, very carefully. It may:

take you where you want to go, or
hold you back and haunt you forever.

So what did “Keeping With the Times” do for me? Well, I’d have to say both … at times I deeply regretted the name, but ultimately it has taken me places I didn’t know I wanted to go … .

I chose a name and started posting. I posted recipes, DIY tutorials, home decor. Then a bit of our travels, then a bit of landscape photography, then a bit of still life. It was a creative hodge podge.

Early on, I began to have doubts about “Keeping With the Times” … what exactly was that? Here, I must backtrack and tell you it started out as “Keeping UP With the Times” but when I tried to purchase the domain name … it was taken (note: a bit of cautionary advise right here) so I had to switch gears and change it to “Keeping With the Times” which was confusing and a bit of a bummer … but it’s OK … it’s all OK.

I remember laying in bed trying to define what my blog was about … what was I trying to accomplish? I knew I was using it as a learning platform, but did anyone else? Starting over wasn’t an option, I’d already invested a ton of time and effort and love.

So I began searching for quotes that suited “Keeping With the Times”, and after several weeks of unsuccessful attempts, I came across “learn something new, try something different” by Brian Tracy. Bingo. That’s it! This is what my blog is about people! I’m living, and learning, and keeping with the times … (cue the trumpets!) … I’m learning how to use a camera, create new recipes, and make crafty projects, as well as how to navigate the online world of blogging and social media.

If you’re struggling to come to terms with the name of your blog, or why you even have a blog, try finding a tagline that suits it. Write down all the reasons you started blogging in the first place. This seemingly small effort will give you confidence, and will validate what you already know in your heart. It may just be the encouragement you need to keep updating your online journal.

Next in the series: Inside a blog post … and beyond …

7 Ideas for Kickstarting a Blog Post

August 27, 2015 by Barb 36 Comments

Today I hope to inspire you with 7 ideas for kickstarting a blog post, and in doing so, reveal my top secret for “getting it done”.

Can you believe it’s almost September? How’s your summer been? Or winter … depending on where you live? I follow lots of people on Instagram that are from Australia, and they’re so excited about spring’s arrival … posting images of gorgeous pink tree blossoms … such an amazing world, isn’t it?

But for me … I’m looking straight into the face of autumn, and it’s my favourite time of year. I’m dreaming of colourful leaves, scented candles, and crispy apples.

I had an amazing summer … so full; family, lake time, bonfires, gardening. But through it all, I managed to keep my blog pretty much on track. In July, I published 11 posts, and so far in August it will be 12 posts … a bit below average, but not much. I also posted to Instagram every day … well, I may have missed one or two, but some days I posted up to three images.

And why do I do this? Because I love it. And I want to inspire you to love it.

So coming this fall, I’m starting a series on blogging …with the cheesy title of “Blogging Bits and Bytes (with Barb)”. I’m working on the first “course” and it should be ready by the end of September.

**UPDATE** First e-mail will be sent September 29th 2015

I use WordPress to write a blog post, but if you use a different platform … no matter … this is not a technical course, but rather me showing you how I do it, and you taking it from there. Oh, and did I mention? Its free. But if you want to be kept up-to-date on all the happenings, you can subscribe to receive all information as it becomes available. Subscribe here.

7 Ideas for Kick-Starting a Blog Post

Do something! Bake, cook, craft, travel, read, garden, paint, draw … you get the idea.
Learn by reading. Go to the library, a used book store, or buy a book.
Share your process … people love to know … “how’d she do that?”
Leaf through a magazine … but with intention. Vow to come away with one idea, then make it your own. If the magazine isn’t yours, simply pull out your phone and take a photo of the page.
Read blogs for inspiration … get the spark and run with it. Make it your own … of course your “take” will always be different.
As you’re doing research, think about what you would call your post … that one little thing solidifies an idea, and makes it seem like you’ve already started. Write it down.
Watch for challenges on Instagram or weekly link-ups from other blogs and participate!

So what do you think my #1 secret for “getting it done” is?

Well, it’s # 6 “think of a title and write it down” … writing it down makes it real. I’ll be talking about why this is so important, as well as how this ties in with not only getting a blog post written, but also on promoting it … because you need to promote your blog posts! It takes a lot of work to put a post together, and you have to let the world know about it!

I hope I’ve inspired you with my 7 ideas, and I encourage you to join me in my new series coming late September. Let me help you write a great blog post!

If you’re not interested in the blogging bits … you can always just subscribe to my newsletter (see sidebar).

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Blogging … Where are you Going?

August 18, 2015 by Barb 4 Comments

This summer I’ve been thinking a lot about blogging … some people say it’s dying … others say it’s changing. I happen to agree.

Blogging, Echinops, Keeping With the Times

Echinops on Sunday Suppers

I just recently became aware of the term “microblogging” which is …

blogging done with severe space or size constraints typically by posting frequent brief messages about personal activities

Merriam-Webster

I guess microblogging has been around for quite some time, as the definition includes services such as Twitter and Facebook … I just didn’t see it that way. I only came to see I was microblogging when I realized Instagram is just another form of it … .

This week I decided to try something new, and I created a story on Steller using photos from my Rosemary Thyme Parmesan Shortbread what a blast! … how cool is that!? Steller liked it ;)

Click on the image to see the story:

So I don’t know where blogging is going, nor do I know where Instagram is going … nor Steller … nor Facebook … nor Twitter … .

So I do as I like … and I do it because I like it. And when I don’t like it, I won’t do it … I’ll move on.

Oh, and I’m not saying the end of my blog is near … it isn’t. Because right now, I still like it … and I wonder … was this a micro post?

Contact Cards for Bloggers

June 17, 2015 by Barb 2 Comments

I am in desperate need of some new contact cards.

In September I’ll be travelling to Brandon, Manitoba, Canada to take part in “Finding Stillness|Autumn 2015” with Kim Klassen and about a dozen other creative souls from around the world (insert squeal here) … it feels so surreal …

Among other things, I’ll be participating in 3 days of styling, shooting, and editing still lifes in The Studio (Kim’s new real-life, bricks and mortar studio.) I can hardly type this without getting up and jumping for joy … but it’s a few months away, and instead of jumping around fruitlessly, I need to get prepared.

When I was planning for Blissdom which I attended in November of 2013, I created business cards and had them printed at Costco. Now, nothing against Costco … they did a superb job of printing and delivering my order … it was my design that stunk … truly stunk … in a word … boring.

Not long after, Kim wrote a post about using Instagram photos for contact cards … I was thunderstruck! What an amazing and creative way to share information … one side was printed with a photo from Instagram, and the other side was for contact information such as your blog url, IG feed, Twitter account, email address … etc. It was brilliant. Who’s going to throw away a tiny piece of art? I would hope no-one would be able to bring themselves to do that! I mean, I could randomly sprinkle my cards all over town, sharing my mini-masterpieces and spreading the word about my blog.

When I attended “Gather California” in 2014, I didn’t have any new cards with me and I regretted it wholeheartedly. But not this time. This time I’m going to have plenty of lovely images to help spread the word about Keeping With the Times.

There are many companies that print contact cards: Social Print Studio, Moo, and Artifact Uprising are just a few. I’m doing a bit of research and will be happy to report back when I’ve made my decision and had them printed.

Thank you so much for stopping by, and have a wonderful day!

Review Blog Posts of 2014!

December 29, 2014 by Barb 7 Comments

You should review blog posts of 2014 before heading into the new year — it’s a valuable tool to help you in your blogging journey.

If you have a widget that allows you to search your blog by month, put it on your sidebar and go through it. Pick a post for each month that stands out for you and ask yourself what it is that you like about it. Is it the photo? the writing? the comments you received? Make a note of it, and then watch for patterns.

As I sifted through my posts for 2014, I chose one for each month and I also made note of two others that were close seconds. As a result I have 36 leads for new content … for example, although it didn’t make the top 12, I really enjoyed my “Interview With a Neighbor” … hmmmm, maybe I could find another creative to interview. I also noted that I enjoy sharing tips and techniques, so expect to see more of that in the new year.

In the process I learned quite a bit about my blogging self:

I love photography and I take a photo almost every day, whether its with my Nikon, or my phone.
I love still life photography and I’ve been doing it for years through Texture Tuesday with Kim Klassen.
I’ve conquered Lightroom (woot) … now that’s a huge accomplishment for me! (I feel a post coming on).
I love to write … maybe I could take some classes …
I write from the heart … which prompted me to start a newsletter.
I love food … hey! I love food photography more, which led me to a new gig at Kim Klassen dot com writing a monthly column called Food Photography Meets Still Life Photography (I’m bursting here).
I love to share tips and techniques.
I love meeting blogging friends in real life, first in Arizona, then in California! It’s truly amazing to have met all these incredible people through blogging and shared passions.
I love Instagram and Pinterest … not so big on other social media.
I enjoy the technical stuff of blogging (if its not too complicated). I employed the help of a techie guy who gave my blog a checkup and fine tuning, and explained a few thing to me. I like to know how things work, so it was well worth the money.
This year I averaged 14.5 posts per month. I’m pretty pleased with that.

So, by reviewing my blog posts of 2014, I’ve come away with lots of new inspiration that I hope will carry me into the new year with enthusiasm and energy.

I hope this has been helpful for you … let me know if you do something similar and how it helped you!

Question For You …

October 27, 2014 by Barb 25 Comments

Autumn Leaves, question

Well, I actually have a few questions for you … if you care to answer one or two, I’d love to hear …

Do you have a twitter account? Do you tweet? Do you follow Twitter and if so, what/who do you follow?
What would happen if I deleted my Twitter account? Who would care? (I’m saying this rather facetiously.)
How do you decide on a method for allowing comments on your blog? Does your blog platform give you a choice? I’d like to quit commenting with my Google+ account, but sometimes I have no other option. WordPress.com won’t allow me to comment, and I don’t have an Open ID. I didn’t even know what Open ID was until today when I finally decided to check it out … the explanation left me baffled …
Sometimes I can comment with my FB account, but not always, and there is no rhyme or reason to it as far as I can tell.
How do you follow blogs?
How’s your autumn going? Mine’s going … going … going to be gone …

Autumn Leaves_2

SEO Friendly Blog Post Part I

September 29, 2014 by Barb

Welcome to Part I of my series on how to write an SEO friendly blog post. Why would you care about SEO? It may not be a top priority for you, but it can’t hurt to try writing with it in mind.

I’m using WordPress but you could apply this with any blogging platform. Just Google it (insert smiley face) and you will find all the advice you need. I’m simply sharing my experience.

Friendly-Blog-Post

I recently employed the help of a “tech guy” to assist me in keeping WordPress and the Genesis framework updated, as well as all plugins, widgets and gadgets … he’s also helping me navigate the confusing landscape of Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools. I tell you, some of the questions I asked … he must have had more than a few chuckles … I know I did (at myself)…

If this sounds dry, well maybe it is. But the reason I blog is to “keep with the times” as well as “learn something new, try something different“.

When my blog was updated and I went to write my first post, I was surprised to see a checklist that was interactive. At first my SEO was bad but as I wrote and re-wrote, eventually it gave me a good rating. I didn’t go for the best because there was one item that I didn’t feel suited my style. Good is good enough for me and I want to remain authentic.

WordPress SEO Friendly Checklist

Choose a focus keyword for your post and then keep writing until you get a “yes” for all these points.

Your focus keyword was found in:

Article Heading: Yes
Page title: Yes
Page URL: Yes
Content: Yes
Meta description: Yes

… so that concludes Part I of my series. For professional advice, check out this article from Yoast.

So, can you tell what my focus keyword is? This is the first post for me that scored 100%. Join me next time where I’ll divulge my “test” results, complete with a screenshot!

I really hope this has piqued your interest and that I’ll see you for Part II!

Sorry … comments are OFF due to SPAM! arghhhh!

Blog Tour–What am I Working On?

May 19, 2014 by Barb 8 Comments

A few weeks ago I was invited to take part in a blog tour. Each blogger is to answer four questions about themselves and their work.

I agreed so here we go!

What am I working on?

Rather than say I’m working on some exciting post for my blog, I’m going to keep it real and tell you that most months my first priority is to write and produce a video tutorial for Digital Scrapper. From inception to completion it dominates my mind, my time, and my energy.

While the technical aspects have become easier, the hardest part remains “what am I going to teach?” Has not every single thing been written about Photoshop? Well yes it has, but it’s my job to take a technique and turn it into something that comes directly from me; from my knowledge, my experience, and my creative centre.

But do you know what I’ve come to realize? It’s not just about the perfect tutorial. It’s about community. It’s about the lovely people who try my tutorial and proudly post their creations in the gallery. It’s always a thrill when someone tells me they’ve learned and grown as a result of something that I’ve taught. That’s what keeps me going.

white space, keeping with the times

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

As far as my blog goes, I’ve accepted the fact that it’s a little bit of this and a little bit of that—nothing extraordinary.

In my scrapping and photography and writing I like clean, simple, and to the point and while I’m drawn to many styles, white space makes my heart sing.

white space, succulent, Keeping With The Times

Why do I write/create what I do?

Over time, I’ve realized that I love to share what I’ve learned. There really is no better way to learn than by teaching!

I’m influenced by the world around me. I see a pretty flower and feel inspired to capture its beauty and share not only the image, but how I captured or edited it. If I find a great recipe, I share that.

Because I love phone photography I started the weekly link-up “app” happy wednesday, where people can share their artwork and give tips on how they used different apps. It’s a very caring and accepting community I hang around with and they inspire me every day to keep on keepin’ on!

white space, keeping with the times

How does your writing/creating process work?

I started blogging with the intent to keep my mind active, and literally to “keep with the times”… so here you will find posts on photography, Photoshop, baking, and gardening. I also share my experiences with the technical aspects of blogging, from moving to a self-hosted web site to Setting up a WordPress Gallery.

I’m mostly an “in the moment” blogger.

I work best when sharing things that are going on with me right now. That’s pretty obvious really … you don’t see too many Christmas tree decorations in May … you see salads, and herbs, and flowers.

I usually start writing in WordPress. On occasion I’ll make a few notes on my calendar as I get ideas but later they just look like cryptic scribblings and I can’t remember what they were about! So, I have to admit I kind of fly by the seat of my pants!

From Above Photography

Thank you so much for stopping by!

How to Create a Project Gallery Part III

March 14, 2014 by Barb 5 Comments

If you’re new to this series, I’d suggest that you check out Part I, and Part II, before continuing on.

Create a Page

From the Dashboard, choose Pages > Add New, and give it a name. I’m calling mine PIES.
Click Publish. Don’t worry, it won’t automatically appear on your blog.

Create a Gallery

Open your blog in another tab on your browser. Navigate to a post that you want to link to the Gallery, and copy the URL.
Go back to the Page and click Add Media, then click on the Media Library tab. Find the image that goes with that post. You can search for an image and it’s especially easy if you gave that image a descriptive name when you saved it. I searched for “pear” and this is what popped up.
Click on the image you want to use as a thumbnail to select it.

In the Attachment Details, paste the URL in the Gallery Link URL box.
Choose New Window for the Gallery Link Target. You always want to open links in a new window – always!
IMPORTANT: Because this is the first link, you have to click Create Gallery on the LEFT Side of the screen, and then once you have all the information filled in, click Create a new gallery in the Attachment Details (as shown in the image below).

You will be taken back to the Page and you should see the thumbnail.
Click on Caption this Image, and give it a name.

In the Gallery Settings, choose Link to Attachment Page.
Choose the number of columns that you want. I like to have 5 columns.

In the Attachment Details, click Insert Gallery.
You will be taken back to the page, and a blue box will have appeared. This is your gallery.

Edit the Gallery and Add More Links

Click on the Blue Box to activate the Gallery and then click on the Edit Gallery Button that appears (not the red Delete Symbol!)

Click Add to Gallery, then repeat the same steps to add the rest of your links as desired. Click Update Gallery when you are finished, then Update your Page.

Add The Page to the Menu Bar

Choose Appearance > Menus. In the Pages dialog box, click the box next to (~~PIES)~~ “Your Page Name” to select it and choose Add to Menu.
Click Save Menu. Go to your blog (refresh the page) and check it out, you should now see the new Page on the Menu Bar. Congratulations! that’s the start of your first gallery!

So there you go! That’s how to create a Gallery in WordPress using the WordPress Gallery Links plugin.

How to Create a Project Gallery Part II

March 12, 2014 by Barb 3 Comments

In Part I of my series on setting up a Project Gallery, I went over some reasons on why it is a good idea to have one, and what you can do with it.

Today I’m going to give an overview of the process, and outline the steps because there are quite a few (but don’t be put off by that).

Slow and steady.

Create a project gallery using the WP Gallery Custom Links plugin.

But first, I want to talk a little bit about the WP Gallery Custom Links plugin vs Inlinkz.

I’ve used InLinkz (Project Manager) since I started my blog in 2010. I was on Blogger at that time and then migrated to WordPress in January of 2013. Inlinkz came with me and I have to say it is a really great tool. It has a lot of different applications but I use it solely to create galleries. So what’s the big difference? Well for me, it’s ease of use, and control.

InLinkz is an off-site application where I go and create a database of links that point to my blog. I go to InLinkz, sign in, add my links, get the code, copy the code and then paste it into a page in my blog. On a side-note, InLinkz charges for some of their services and indeed they should. Someone has to bring home the bacon, right? And I would pay for it if I was going to continue using it. Right now I have 74 free links to go, after that I have to pay a monthly fee. No big deal, but …

The WP Gallery Custom Links plugin is installed on my blog. It’s free (but you can make a donation to the developers), and I don’t have to leave my blog. I have complete control of my links and my images. All the images that are on my blog are now saved on the server at HostGator. My blog is self-hosted; it’s not a WordPress.com blog (there’s a big difference).

OK! Enough of all that. As promised, here’s an overview of where I’m going with all of this!

Download and install the WP Gallery Custom Links plugin.
Create a Page.
Add the Page to the Menu Bar.
Create a Gallery.
Add more images to the Gallery.
Add another Gallery to the Same Page.
Create a drop-down Menu.

First of all, if you haven’t already, back up your blog!!

How to Create a Project Gallery using the WP Gallery Custom Links Plugin

Download and install the WP Gallery Custom Links plugin:

Go to the Dashboard.
Click Plugins.
Choose Add New.
Search for WP Gallery Custom Links.
Click Install Now. That’s it! It’s installed and you are ready to go.

So that concludes Part II of my series. Please join me on Friday where we will really get down to business!

Hope to see you then!

How to Create a Project Gallery Part III