Feature Friday: Happy Colors!

So.
Right now, as I'm typing this, there is snow falling outside my house.  Snow.
Argh.
I'm trying not to be a complainer.  Here where we live water gets scarce during the summer months, and we need the water runoff produced by the snow to help sustain our reserves during that time.  I'm trying to think of this as Mother Nature's way of helping us keep our garden watered later this year.
But seriously.  I'm soooo over Winter, right now!
Anyway, to help cheer myself up I'm featuring some fun finds, with a punch of sunshiney goodness!
Flowers and Little Bee Print by TwoEms

Fabric Leaves Tree by Two Girls Being Crafty

Egg Carton Spring Wreath by Krafty Kat

Nuthatch Granny Pattern by eggbird designs

Burlap and Fabric Spring Wreath by Nat Sprat

From the Prairie Notecards by The Wheatfield

Crochet Easter Egg Pattern by Easy Makes Me Happy

(If I've featured you feel free to grab a featured button from My Buttons page at the top!)
Have a Happy Weekend!!!

Great Idea: Build a Better Blog #4 - Extra, Extra!!

This is my final week of Build a Better Blog!  I've had a lot of fun putting these ideas together...and I hope the tips I've offered have been helpful!!

This week I'm focusing on the extra stuff you can put on your blog:  button, badges, banners, and other fun extras!
First off, I just want to tell you right now that I am NOT an expert...but I know where to find them!!  I've borrowed the following link to some of my favorite resources for all things technical!  So I'm cheating on this one and just giving you all some of the tools I've discovered for doing things yourself!!  (A huge thanks goes out to all those who have written these fantastic tutorials!!!)
BLOG BUTTONS
Here are some tutorials on how to make your blog button and badges...and how to get the code to share them with others!!
Blogging With Amy has THIS fantastic walkthrough on making blog buttons, and getting the code onto your blog!
Musings of a Housewife has THIS one, with some suggestions on how to make it readable and fun!
Welcome to Linneyville has THIS tutorial for Picnik.com on how to make your button *cute*!
BLOG BANNERS
Here are some links to tutorials that are all about making your blog banner fun and cute:
Blissfully Domestic has THIS one on using Picasa to make a fantastic photo banner!
Songbird Nesting has some great tips in THIS one about the feel and overall look of your blog banner...and how to install it in Blogger!
And All About Us has the nitty gritty how-to with Picnik.com on THIS one!
BLOG FONTS & TITLES
Kevin and Amanda have THIS great tutorial on how to add a cute font to your blog post and sidebar titles!
Makin' Cute Blogs has THIS one on adding images to sidebar titles!
EVERYTHING ELSE!!!
The Blog Guidebook has TONS of great tutorials and resources available for bloggers who are looking to spice up their blogs!  Seriously...if I haven't linked to anything you've found helpful yet...check THIS one out for sure!!
Soooooo....I hope you find some great info and tips here!!  Thanks for joining me for my Build a Better Blog series!!  I hope you all have a great time beautifying you blogs!!!

Things to Make: Free Crocheted Flower Garland Pattern

I've had so much fun with my crocheted heart garland and crocheted shamrock garland, that I thought I'd make another garland for Spring!!

This cute little flower can be used on other fun projects, too, of course!!  (Don't be scared away by the pattern...it's really much simpler than it might seem at first glance!!)

Here's the pattern:
Materials Needed: size I crochet hook scrap yarn in desired colors
Abbreviations: ch  = chain hdc =  half-double crochet dc = double crochet st = stitch sl st = slip stitch sp = space rem = remaining rep = repeat beg = beginning

FLOWER
Ch 4, join with sl st to form a ring.
ROW 1 Ch 1, work 9 sc in ring, join with sl st to beg ch 1.
ROW 2 Ch 3, work 2 dc inst at bottom of ch, sl st in next ch, *work 3 dc in next ch, sl st in next ch *, rep from *to * 3 more times.  5 petals made.
You can stop there if you want teeny tiny flowers, or you can continue with another round to make the petals fuller, as follows:
ROW 3 Sc in next st, hdc in same sp, work 3 dc in next st, hdc in next st, sc in same st, sl st in sl st from previous row, * sc in next st, hdc in same sp, work 3 dc in next st, hdc in next st, sc in same st, sl st in sl st from previous row *, rep from * to * 3 more times.  Fasten off.  Weave in ends.

GARLAND
Ch 25, * sl st in top of one petal of flower, ch 15 *, rep from * to *until all flowers are joined, ch 25, Fasten off.

For my garland I've used Caron Simply Soft yarn in various pastel colors...I love how soft and simple it looks!  But it has such a pretty sheen to it!  (Maybe I'll keep this one to hang over the crib once baby #5 arrives in June!)
If you like the way this looks, but just don't want to make one for yourself, you can purchase this cute garland in my shop, here!

Happy Spring, Everyone!!!

Great Idea: Build a Better Blog #3 - Get Noticed!!!

So you've started to make the design of your blog reflect you and you are working on improving the quality of your photos...so now what do you do?

This post is all about how to promote your blog!

There are so many wonderful resources available for bloggers out there!

1. Build your content!  A pretty blog won't get you noticed unless you have something to say!  Once you have your blog set up, you need to start adding CONTENT.

Content can be anything from a picture with a caption to a tutorial to a recipe to something you've made for your shop!  Be yourself!  Write about what you like - what interests you!  The more content you have on your blog, the more traffic you will get.

2.  Join a Link Party!  A link party is simply a list of links that the author of a blog 'hosts' for a certain period of time.  They can be general or very specifically themed.  (I personally contribute to several link parties each week!)  They are free to join, and are a lot of fun!

There are several types of link parties out there - some of the most popular are: crafts, recipes, home decor, photos, and blog hops!

A blog hop is a special type of link party that gives other bloggers the chance to visit and follow your blog -  as you visit and follow other blogs, too!  It's a great way to 'meet' fellow bloggers and make Blog Land 'friends!'

Here's a really great link to a fun blog that keeps a running list of weekly link parties going on:

3. Leave and respond to comments! In addition to linking up your content at a link party, you also need to visit other links and leave comments! Not only is it just good etiquette...but it's also good karma! People LOVE to get comments...so if you leave a positive comment on someone else's blog post, they are more likely to return the love, and leave a comment on your blog, too!

4. Link to other blogs! If you see something that you love out in Blog Land, share it on your own blog! Make sure you link back to the original author's post and pictures, and be sure to let them know! It's always flattering to know that someone liked something you did! 

5. Be consistent! Try to aim for at least two to three posts on your blog each week. If you are inconsistent with the amount of posting you do on your blog (ie going for long periods of not posting anything), people will be less likely to continue to follow your blog. Make a simple goal to start with, so that you don't get burned out. Be flexible about it, too! 

6. Advertise! If you have a little extra revenue, advertising is a great way to get your blog or shop noticed. Several of the 'Big-Time' blogs offer advertising spots on their blogs. You can also so some self-promotion by offering a giveaway to follower or hosting a contest of some kind. (I'll be posting next week about how create your own blog buttons for people to post -- you can usually use these button for advertising, too!) 

For more fantastic resources about blogging tips, visit these links to the Pro's:

Good luck, gang!  Happy Blogging!!

Things to Make: Tissue Paper Cherry Blossoms

THIS POST HAS BEEN MOVED!

YOU CAN NOW FIND THIS TUTORIAL OVER MY WEBSITE, SARAHNDIPITIES.COM!

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO GO THE TUTORIAL:

Things to Make: Tissue Paper Cherry Blossoms