I've had some extra time to surf the web lately (the kitchen remodel - no cooking, no cleaning) and visit some fantastic blogs. I'm amazed at the beauty and creativity of them. I'm astounded at the amount of time they must take to maintain and the commitment that these ladies make to blog most every day and with pictures to boot! When I read these fabulous blogs, I'm always asking myself the same questions:
1. Do you people ever sleep? Or clean house themselves (they must
because the pictures of their houses are always immaculate and
beautiful)? Or just sit and waste time? They must not, or else
they somehow have more than 24 hours in their days! They all
accomplish so much!
2. Are they all professional photographers? Do they photo shop all
their pictures? To say the least, the pictures posted are sights to
behold! The vignettes are always over the top!
3. How did they meet each other? It seems like they are always
traveling to some distant spot, getting together at one of the
group's 'just like in a magazine' houses and spending time
antiquing, flea marketing and crafting, finding fabulous little
trinkets and tidbits to use in their creations. And not just little
crafts, but big, complicated, gorgeous things that would take
hours. I can honestly say that I don't personally know anyone
that likes this stuff like I do, that goes ga-ga for the collages,
journals or altered boxes, that wants to go to Silver Bella.
4. Where do they get their supplies for all of the fantastic things
they make? Online? Specialty stores? Around here, there is
they make? Online? Specialty stores? Around here, there is
Hobby Lobby. Period. What I see them using is beautiful, old
diamond encrusted jewelry and old books that they have torn
apart. How can you stand to part with these items! (Guess that
is my problem - I can't stand to rip apart a book or give up the
things I hoard!)
5. Where do they live that they are always going to out-of-this-
world antique stores (the midwest stores' prices have gotten
way high so I can't imagine what they are on either coast), estate
sales (no such thing around here) or huge 'art fairs' that some
local store puts on that crafters from around the world come and
sell their wares?
6. What is it about creative people that not only can they make
beautiful things but that they are also so pretty themselves?
7. How does one join a swap?
8. Do they design their own blogs or pay someone to come up with
pretty? Some even have a different header for each season!
Amazing!
9. The biggest question for me when I enviously read these blogs
is -- HOW CAN I BECOME JUST LIKE YOU!!!
None of these questions that I ask myself are criticisms concerning these blogs. They only boggle my mind. I will continue to visit, ask questions (that's how you learn, right?), read of interesting lives and projects, live vicariously through their travels and found objects and be constantly entertained by pure, unadulterated beauty!
(OK - just published and the formatting is all screwy. I have tried to fix it several times and I am just giving up for now.)
Ciao!
6 comments:
I ask myself the same questions! I have had to back off my blogging lately because it consumes too much of my time. The only editing I do on photos is what iphoto offers, I soften the edges and sharpen the pictures. It seems to me all the west coast and Texas bloggers have all the fabulous get togethers and definitely the best shops and fairs. Around here all the antique shops are very serious antiques or the same old stuff getting dusty. We also lack any creative antique fairs. Except the one in Springfield Ohio each month in the summer and fall, and Country Living Fair which has been in southern mid Ohio for the past three years. Woo hoo for that! My hometown of Cincinnati has an arts fair each summer called...what else...Summer Fair. Juried artists from all over selling amazing and varied pieces. Fairly pricey as they are mostly pros. As for supplies, flea markets, garage and estate sales have been my sources. I used to hold on to every scrap but lately I realized it doesn't hurt to turn around and create something new with them. Otherwise when I die my family will have garbage bags full of my "treasures" that they may not appreciate as such. So go ahead and use those old jewelry bits and take the pages from the books. Blog design is not my forte and there are so many great free backgrounds. I think the blog is about the writing and photos anyway.LOL we share the same background, thanks backgroung fairy, I love it!
We are all just doing our own little thing and I enjoy visiting all the different blogs out there. I am sure we all have the same questions. People out here want to be just like you too. BTW Silver Bella is totally worth it. This will be my second year and although I was worried about expense I just had to go again! Pam
Hello! Wow - what great questions... so many I've wondered myself. About the sleeping part, I do find I spend too much time between updating the blog and visiting others. It's kind of addicting. Photography is a hobby of mine, so I enjoy that aspect of it. I wish we had those great antique stores where I live. I did go to one of the few flea markets in our area last weekend for the first time and it was great fun. I'm finding that this blogging is a lot of trial and error so just keep looking at other people's blogs for ideas and inspiration.
Oh, and I love bees too. I have the same background as you. :-)
Have a great day,
Sharon
You are certainly not alone with these questions...I have asked almost all of them myself. As for me and my blog...I don't post daily {find that far too burdening} but just get in a "blogging" mood a couple of times a week and that's when I post. I do take all of my own photos and by no means am a professional...just always striving to learn more and get better. I have never met anyone through a blog...but do have dear friends I would like to meet! To join a swap...you just sign up when you see one posted that you would like to participate in...or get invited once people get to know you. I could go on and on with answers...but just wanted to let you know that you are not alone...I just try to remind myself that when I am gushing over blogs...they they aren't "perfect" {because I know I am not!} and no one ever posts about all their dirty laundry piled up...but I do have a ton of it...lol! Just continue to be true to your blog as you want it to be...and consider the rest you see inspiration...and when that gets overwhelming {because I sure know it does} step back from it for a bit and reconnect with you...well...at least that is what I have found to work for me ;) Hope this helps a bit!
You are so right...no one posts pics about their dirty laundry piles:)
How funny!! Well, to answer one question, I kick all the mess out of the way to one side of the room when I take a photo. The mess is there, but no one has to see it!
And since you and I are both in the Midwest, the best place to shop is estate and garage sales for supplies and pretty things. There are a lot of old people who have hung on to their stuff for a life time around here. I've hit the jackpot in NE a lot.
And as far as meeting up with other bloggers, I was surprised when I started to get to know people online socially and visit back and forth. But I am so glad I did, its been great to meet so many people whose blogs I enjoy.
Oh, and PS- I saw someone else already mentioned Silver Bella, that is another way to meet lots of blog freinds. You are too late to sign up for the event, but you should come to vendor night for dinnner and shopping and a party!
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