Blogging made me do it! Featuring Kara Paslay

If you've read my blog for any time at all, you know that I owe a lot to today's guest. Kara is a real go-getter and it was one of her inspiring posts that gave me the nudge I needed to jump right into starting my own design business. I love the way she thinks outside the box and you can guarantee her designs are not cookie-cutter. Original and unique are two perfect words to describe Kara. 

Oh yeah, and did you know she used to work as a display designer for Anthropologie? Searching her blog to see the displays she created is definitely worth your time, friends!

Ready to be inspired?...Read on to see what blogging made Kara do!

A big thanks to Dana for inviting me over to share today!  My husband (Tim) and I write the blog Kara Paslay Designs."



Blogging has made us do all sorts of things:

- stay up to all hours of the night
- be creative daily
- document our process
- learn to ignore rude comments by people who think it's their mission in life to make people feel bad
- learn to relish the kind comments that people have taken time to write
- find our desire to inspire others creatively
- exercise discipline and patience

Yes, blogging has made us do these things and so much more. . .  but probably the biggest thing that blogging has done is make me a sharer.  I am not a sharer by nature.  I do not share very easily.  I grew up playing competitive basketball (I mean like, this is my life competitive) and in that arena you never give your "opponent" a leg up.  You are always working harder so that you can be victorious when game time comes around.  And while I had friends on other teams, giving them the play book would never be something I would consider doing. :)



Ok, so you may be wondering how I'm going to bring this back around to blogging.  Well, when I first started writing, I brought this same competitive mindset to blogging.  As I entered deeper and deeper into the blogging world, I was blown away with how freely everyone gave away their DIY tips and tutorials.  It seriously was hard for me to tell others exactly how I do things and freely offer up the lessons that I had worked so hard to learn, especially to strangers that I had no connection to.

Fast forward 3 1/2 years, and my mindset has changed  (although if I'm completely honest, I still have bouts of anxiousness when I'm spilling secrets learned from long hours of experimentation).  But here's how I look at things now- this blog is my platform.  And although it pales in comparison to other peoples and bloggers influence, I still do have a few messages that I believe God wants me to use my blog to share.  Those messages are:



1. Do what you love!  We believe when God made us, he gave us each specific talents, abilities, and passions!  Those talents and passions were put there not to be ignored, but to be explored and used.  We truly believe that you find true joy when you are doing what you love in everyday life.  Make your passion your career!

2. Go after your dreams with hard work and faith!  We believe anything is possible and we want our blog to be a place where people can come and receive encouragement that they can achieve their wildest dreams! We always, always include the fact that I believe anything is possible only if the dream you are going after is one that has been put in your heart by the Lord and not just one you are going after for selfish gain. And beyond that- hard work, incredibly hard work that doesn't just last a few weeks, but for as long as it takes is what will bring your wildest dreams to fruition.  You can read a whole post I wrote about this topic here.

3. Create a space that surrounds you with things that celebrate where you've come from, who you are, and where you're going.  Because our message is "do what you love," our blog shows off exactly what we love to do- design!  Our philosophy is to help people do what they love, go after their dreams, and celebrate who they are with the designs that they are surrounded by everyday.

For example we created this Glowing Drum Table for a music lover.



This Book Page Wallpaper would be perfect for an aspiring writer.



And this Fish Scale Tile would be perfect in a sea lovers home!



When we create a room, we want to include things that speak specifically to that client so that when they wake up everyday, they can look around and be encouraged and inspired to be their best them!  You can see more projects like this on our blog.

4. Love Your Body!  This may seem like a random message, but for some reason it is dear to me.  Growing up I had body image issues, but through a series of events I was able to overcome them and gain a confidence about and love for my body.  I hate when I hear women criticize their bodies or think they have to live up to someone else's idea of perfection.  So, every so often you will see me write a post about loving your body or Crossfit.  This is a message I feel compelled to share.

So, on those days when I feel like I want to stop blogging forever and use that time on other things, I remember- Blogging has made me a sharer and the messages I have to share are important. . . so much more important than DIY secrets (which I also share- check out my DIY tutorial page here).  And although I do want my work to be known as exciting, unique, and awesome- I hope the underlying message that people receive when they read my blog is that "Anything is possible!"  The Lord has put me here to discuss the things that are dear to my heart: design, dream chasing, hard work, and Him!!! And thanks to blogging, I can! :)

I'm so glad Kara shared with us today. Hasn't it been fun seeing all the different directions my guests have taken the topic of "Blogging made me do it"? I'm grateful for how transparent Kara was in this post.

On a different note, things will be quiet around here for the next week or so. I'll be enjoying some quality family time and taking time to refresh!

Hip hip hooray! Happy all the way!

Blogging made me do it! Featuring Elizabeth from The Mustard Ceiling

Today's guest definitely wears many hats. Do you know Elizabeth from The Mustard Ceiling?! She's not only gifted at decorating, but she's an amazing graphic designer and as of recent, you can go ahead and attached awesome photographer to her list of talents. When Elizabeth puts her mind to something, you better get out of the way! She's clearly going to do it with 110% of her being. Isn't that an amazing attribute?!

Here's what blogging has made Elizabeth do...

Sometimes I look around the house, or sit down at the computer to work on a new blog design and cannot believe the way my life has changed since I started blogging in January, 2011. Blogging has taught me a lot over the past year and a half and I cannot imagine it not being a part of my daily routine. Blogging has helped me learn to open up and take greater risks in my design choices and in the DIY projects. After working so hard to accomplish the projects around our home, I feel that if I really put my mind to it, I can accomplish it. For example, our Laundry room. Before blogging I would not have tackled a laundry room makeover. For 1) I never could have imaged how fun it would be to have a cute laundry room and 2)after a few days of stenciling I would have probably stopped the stenciling madness. I started the laundry room project because I won a stencil from Olive Leaf Stencils in a giveaway and had no idea where to use it. I thought, the laundry room is small, it won't take long to stencil and so the makeover began...this project took three weeks of stenciling! To date the laundry room stenciling has one of my most challenging projects to finish, but I LOVE it! It is not the most difficult project we have tackled, but the stenciling was really tedious and took a long time. Blogging has made me learn to sew (well, sort of). I am not an expert, but I can successfully sew a pair of drapes or pillows. Two of my goals for 2011 were 1) to start a blog and not give up on it and 2) to learn to sew. I started small with pillow covers and finally in May I worked up the courage to tackle burlap drapes for the dining room. I struggled through the process, but in the end, I think it is just what we needed in there.

Before

After

Not only has blogging made me more confident in my design choices and abilities, but it has helped me find and follow two new passions that I am sure I would never have found without blogging. One of my New Year's Resolution's this year was to learn how to shoot in manual mode on my DSLR camera. When I set out to meet this goal in January I had no idea how much I would grow to love photography. I started out hoping to improve my DIY project photos and fell into a new hobby. Photography really opens your eyes to the world around you, giving you the opportunity to view the world in a whole new light, to pay attention to details you wouldn't have noticed without a camera in hand. It has open up a whole new avenue of creativity for me and I hope to continue to grow my skills.

Self-Portrait downtown Clovis, NM

I have been trying to widen my range of skills, photographing everything from Downtown Signs to bucking cowboys at the rodeo we attended last weekend.

Finally, blogging has led me down a completely new and unexpected career path, which I absolutely love. When I started my blog a year and a half ago, I was computer illiterate. I knew how to turn it on, check email and shop online..that was it. In the first days of blogging, I became obsessed with learning how to create a design for my blog. I would sit glued to my computer for hours teaching myself photoshop. Then, I learned how to install a header on Blogger and finally managed to choke out a full design for my blog. As I sat for hours at the computer I realized I had no idea how many hours had passed, I would get lost in photoshop, loving every minute of it. That is when I knew I was onto something... I have taken blog design classes, photoshop classes, coding classes and have taught myself how to design on wordpress and I have been enchanted by every step of process. I still get giddy when it is time to start a new design, or install a design. My husband teases me about becoming a computer nerd. Never in a million years would I have chosen web design and graphic design as my career path, but I feel it is right where I belong. I recently celebrated my one year anniversary of opening my blog design business, TMC Designs. In some ways I can't believe it has been in a year, in other's I feel like I have been doing it my whole life. Without blogging I would have missed out on something great... Thank you Dana for having me today! I had so much fun thinking and writing about all of ways blogging has opened up new paths in my life. Looking back over the past year and a half, I am truly amazed at where blogging has taken me and am excited to see where the path leads.

I'm so glad Elizabeth shared with us today. If you're even halfway thinking of giving your blog a facelift, make sure you contact her. She's responsible for my design and truly was amazing to work with!

Blogging Made Me Do It! Featuring Diane from In My Own Style

There's absolutely no way you can walk away from today's post without learning something new! In fact, I don't think it's possible to visit today's guest's blog without learning something new and valuable every single time you visit. 

Diane, from In My Own Style, is the queen of DIY tutorials. I just deemed her that title, but I'm sure you'll agree! I am constantly amazed at the creativity that oozes out of her pores and her ability to walk you through a project, step by step, is simply over the top.

I'm thrilled that she's sharing her time with us today. Ready to see what blogging has made Diane do?...

Blogging… I have been at it now for 2 ½ years so far. I wanted to start a blog about 5 years ago, but when I opened an account with Blogger I was just lost. I had no computer tech skills at all and the learning curve was just too steep for me at the time.  Fast forward to August 2009 and my desire to be a blogger was just too intense, so I focused and for the next 3 months I learned as much as I could about blogging.  My first post went out in early November 2009.   

I am bringing this up because Dana had asked me to take part in her “Blogging Made Me Do It” series.  If I wasn’t a blogger I would be computer clueless right now. Blogging made me learn…  Now I can honestly say that I am pretty computer savvy – not quite a ninja, but I am amazed at all I have learned about the technical side of the internet.  I can read “HTML” now and can edit a photo in Photoshop, make a blog header, button and post graphics.  Blogging made me do it… it made me focus and use my brain in a way I never thought I could.    

I write a DIY Decorating and Crafts blog with a lot of tutorials and photos.  I try to post 3 times a week, but sometimes it just isn’t possible to get a project made, photographed, and then write about all the steps on how to do it.  I had to come up with a way to make the process go smoother.  I needed a space to work in that would allow me to create and make things, a place to photograph them, as well as a place to write about them. I am lucky that I had an office already in my home, but that was designed for the way I used to work before I ever knew what a blog was.  Blogging made me sit back and really think how I could turn that home office into a studioffice to make all the steps required to put out a DIY tutorial blog post go smoother.  Hence I created the “Creative Wall”.  It is a wall that I have hung all the things I need to make the projects that I post, plus a place to take a clear photo of them, along with a desk to sit and write about it. If I wasn’t a DIY blogger, I would have never created this wall.

Creative Wall post:  

{Tutorial: Craft Wall}

Blogging has also made me do a few projects that didn’t come out quite as planned, but I posted about them anyway – you have heard of them- the “craft fails”. Where bloggers show what didn’t work to keep it real. 

I had made over a chandelier in my dining room and it came out wonderfully. Having completed that successfully gave me the confidence to do another brass chandelier that was hanging in my foyer, but using a different method.  It came out OK, I wasn’t super happy with how it looked, but I posted it anyway.  It got mixed reviews, and I totally understood why.  The funny thing - an editor at Apartment Therapy liked it and it was featured on Apartment Therapy.  If I hadn’t posted it, I would have never had a huge increase in blog traffic and new readers coming to my site from Apt Therapy.  Blogging made me do it… it made me take a leap past the fear of thinking everything has to be perfect that I post about.  Putting what I didn’t think was great out there for all to see was scary, but I learned that we all like different things.  It is the idea that may spark someone’s imagination or inspire them – not the actual project itself.    Since then the chandelier has had a few tweaks.  

1^st Chandelier Makeover: 

BEFORE

AFTER

{Complete tutorial available here}

2^nd Chandelier Makeover: 

BEFORE

AFTER

{Complete tutorial available here}

Tweak on the 2^nd Chandelier: 

{DIY chandelier shade cover tutorial}

And on a more recent note – just last week I was doing a post as part of a Walmart/Plaid promotion where a group of craft bloggers were given a $25 gift card to buy something at Walmart to then add our own style to with Plaid paints and Mod Podge. I bought a rug and started painting it, until it turned into a big mess late one night a few days before the post was scheduled to be published.  If I wasn’t a blogger I would have just went to bed at 11:00 PM. But since I had to have a project completed in two days and knew Walmart was open 24/7, I got out of my painting clothes and into something presentable and I drove 30 minutes to Walmart to get something new to paint on.  It was a nice trip - no traffic at all at that time of night.  I got home around midnight and started on the piece the next day.  It is a saddle stool - it came out great and I made my deadline just in time. 

Painted Monogram Stool:  

{Tutorial: How to paint a Monogram on a stool}

 Wow! Right? Make sure you take the time to click on the links below Diane's pictures. Each link takes you to one of her detailed tutorials. There are loads more pictures to enjoy and learn from. My favorite is her brilliant picture taking spot on her creative wall. Jump back up and check out the secret roller shade in the top right corner that she pulls down to give herself the perfect backdrop for post pics. She's a smart one, I tell ya!

Blogging made me do it! Featuring Danielle Oakey

Guess what?! You're in for a treat this week. 'Blogging made me do it' isn't happening just on Friday this week. How about hearing from some fabulous ladies today and Wednesday too?! 

Here's what I love about this series...I've read Danielle's blog for a while now and I've never seen this project. Isn't it great that she gets to dig in her archives and share with us? It's a shame when great projects get buried.

I have to admit I have a love/hate relationship with Danielle. Let me explain...I love her blog and think she has amazing taste, but my best friend/neighbor thinks Danielle is THE BOMB! We'll be working on a project and she'll often say, "Maybe I should hire Danielle." HELLLOOOO, friend...thanks for the vote of confidence. She sure knows how to make a girl feel appreciated, right?! (just to clarify, this is totally true but there are no hard feelings...love you, Katie!) And, you're right, Danielle is fantastic!

Moving on...Let's see what Blogging has made Danielle do!

 Hi, I am Danielle from Danielle Oakey Interiors!

I am excited to be here today participating in Dana's "Blogging Made Me Do It" series!

I started blogging on a daily basis in September of 2010. I must admit, as soon as I began the blogging adventure, my mind was constantly spinning with DIY projects. I began tackling my small condo one project at a time while blogging about the process.

One of the first DIY projects I tackled was my mirrors for my dining room.

Although I am sure I would have eventually gotten around to hanging something there, blogging definitely gave me that much needed nudge to get-er-done. 

I bought these mirrors from my local thrift store for $8.00 each.

The scale was perfect and so was the price.

They are quite large, about 50"h x 21"w.

I primed them,

and painted them white.

I then decided to paint a pale blue on the inside of the mirror.

I love how they turned out, and how do you possibly beat $16.00.

The best part, everyone thinks I paid lots of money for them!

If only they knew :)

Thanks so much for having me Dana!

xoxo,

Danielle

Thanks so much for sharing your time with us today, Danielle. If you're not already a regular reader of Danielle's blog, you need to check out what you've been missing!

Blogging made me do it! Featuring Abby Manchesky

It's Friday friends, and I'm proud to report that we officially made it through the first week of summer break and I only heard "I'm bored" every time I made them turn off the TV once or twice! That's a small victory, right?

I'm pumped that Abby from A Delightful Design is sharing with us today. She doesn't know this, but Abby was the very first blogger that I ever corresponded with. She's the one who brought blogging to life for me. I stopped blog stalking just reading and realized bloggers are very friendly and approachable. She even showed a picture of my dining room on her blog before my own blogging days. You never know the impact you'll have on someone else's life...a simple reminder that it pays to be kind at all times, friends!

Moving on to what you're really waiting for...let's see what Blogging has made Abby do!

Blogging has changed my life.  Truly.  

When I sat down to write this post I really didn't know where to start.  I could ramble on and on--because if I hadn't started blogging my days would be drastically different.  I considered just taking pictures of my messy house with toys in the most random places, but changed my mind last minute.  Blogging takes time away from cleaning. ;-) 

 In the end, I'd have to say that blogging made me fearless.  I refuse to design or make decisions out of fear.  If I fail then I'd rather fail big. 

A year ago this fearlessness led to a start of my own design firm and I'm still thrilled beyond words that I have huge projects with local clients and a waiting list of e-design clients.  I don't take it lightly that strangers trust me with their home.  

Here are some examples, from my own house, of what I was not afraid to try this year.  

First up is our guest bedroom.

It used to look like this.  Yikes!  I'm not sure I would have had the courage to trust my gut and paint the bedroom ceiling coral before blogging.

 I found this Drexel piece for $50 and knew it was just what we needed as our TV stand.

Now it's one of my favorite pieces in our house.  There's very little high gloss white and bit of vintage brass hardware can't solve.

Finally, this hallway was so depressing to me when we bought our house.  I'm not sure I would have trusted myself ,before blogging, to make the changes I made.  

But blogging can be the great encourager, and the stripes turned out even better than I expected.

Huge thanks to Dana for inviting me to be part of this series!  It was fun to think about my choices through the lens of blogging. My house can get messy, but I've become friends with clients all over the country, and it never feels like work.

Thanks for sharing, Abby. I've really enjoyed watching her house evolve along with seeing her work her magic with clients. Hop on over to A Delightful Design and tell Abby hello!

Hope you all have a restful weekend. We're dropping kids off at various camps. One is a seasoned camper and the other is a little nervous for his first adventure away from mom and dad. Say a little prayer!

Blogging made me do it! Featuring Kristen Davis

So glad we get to continue the series today! Janell Beals started us off last week and look who's sharing the love this week?

Oh, yes!...it's Kristen from Kristen F. Davis Designs. I always look forward to Kristen's posts and of course, the reveals of her commissioned pieces are my favorite. How about several of you hop on over and commission her so we'll have some guaranteed eye candy in the near future?!

Kristen did not disappoint when tackling the topic "Blogging made me do it!" She kept it real and shared this hilarious story...

Ohhh, the things "Blogging has made me do!" I started my blog as a sort of artistic outlet; something to fill my spare time, and to "let out" a bit of artsy-craftiness. It has become, however, a main component of my job, and I am really grateful for it. I am a decorative painter, and I work solo. My blog is my only form of advertising, and I use it as my portfolio for design clients.

In thinking about some of the funnier things that blogging has made me do, a story about a traveling desk came to mind. It's a story about what blogging made not only myself do, but about 5 other people do, too. Hah!

In 2010, about two years ago, I painted this desk:

Eventually, it looked like this:

Well, I ended up selling the desk to a friend-of-a-friend who lived in Washington, D.C. I'm not sure if you guys are aware of shipping costs of furniture (I'm sure you are!), but it is not cheap! Something like this desk could be well over $250, and that's more than my client even paid for the desk. It just so happened, that summer (right after I sold it to her), my husband and I were going to be driving to D.C. to visit my brother, who lives there. We decided the best thing to do would be to drive it up there with us. So, we hauled it in my car (which was a tiny Nissan Versa).

This is a photo I took of us driving up there...it barely fit!

So, the desk made it to D.C. Buuuuut, once we got there, we realized that the parking at my brother's apartment was not so great for moving a desk. It was only parallel parking on the street, so as soon as we found a spot, we parked and had to haul it down about 3 blocks, before we made it to his apartment. He lived in the underground part of the row house, so we took it down 2 flights of stairs, and around a corner, finally to sit in my brother's room.

My client (who lived in DC, remember?) ended up having a family emergency, and so the desk sat in my brother's room for 3 months or so, while she was out of town. I kept getting random texts, phone calls, etc., from him saying things like, "Hey, uhhh, so there's this desk sitting in my room..." (Shout out to Andy, my brother, for patiently enduring a pink floral desk in his room)

Anyway, eventually my client's friends volunteered to pick the desk up for her, since she couldn't. We all had to make plans for her friends (who I didn't know) to go over to my brother's house to pick up a desk that their friend bought. Andy said when they came over, they asked him how he knew their friend, and he said "I don't even know whose desk this is!" It was just a crazy turn of events, and if not for the ol' World Wide Web and blog-land, it never would've happened. Whenever I see pictures of that desk, I laugh. It made it through a lot, and blogging made it do it! :)

Leave it to Kristen to come with something unique and creative to share! Aren't you glad she shared her time with us today? See more of her greatness on her blog, stop by and say hello.

Hope you all have a fun weekend!