Random Thoughts On Blogging

I watched the movie Julie and Julia tonight. It really made me think about when I first started this blog and how it has transformed me. (The movie is great by the way.) 

My first blog post was on July 13, 2007. My blog was basically a card blog at its inception.

This was the first card that I posted

When I began blogging I thought that I was just an "okay" cardmaker. I enjoyed the craft but felt very outdone by all of the talented cardmakers in the blogworld (and real world.) I used my blog as a means to encourage myself to try new things and create more.

Thank you card with border made with dot stickers

On July 31, 2007 I posted my first tutorial. I made a shortcut and shared my instructions for creating a scalloped edge using dot stickers.

Krispie Pops

One of my most popular tutorials so far has been my Krispie Pop tutorial. I make a million versions of these but I chose to do the tutorial on the jack-o-lantern pop. The original post was on October 22, 2007.

Right around this time I submitted cards to the justjohanna (now Odd Bird Planet) Design Team call. To my surprise, I got accepted. I was on the Design Team for a year and it really pushed me to perfect my craft. Also during that year I sent cards in for magazine calls. I was published three times including on the cover. It was amazing to me at the time because just months earlier I was feeling "blog unworthy."

Origami Tree Card

My most read tutorial is my Origami Christmas Tree. Actually, I have a few versions of origami trees but the one that is looked at month after month was posted on November 14, 2007. 

On December 19, 2007 I offered my first blog candy. I randomly drew a winner and it was a woman who lived on the other side of the world from me. Luckily the prize didn't weigh very much or I would have been really sad.

Which brings me to another fun statistic. Do you use Google Analytics?

Not surprisingly, most of my blog readers are in America. This makes sense since I write in English and most of my friends live in America. The next most common are somewhat surprising to me. The second most popular: Turkey

Third most popular: South Korea

So, hello, Merhaba and Ahn-Nyeong Hah-Seh-Yo to my faithful readers.

Christmas Open House during the Blue Door Period

December 24, 2008 was my first blog open house. I joined several other bloggers in a fun little blog hop. I was hooked! Since then I've shared my home decorated for Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine's Day, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.

One of the highlights of my blog life was my Birthdays Project. Last year for my birthday I asked fellow bloggers help me collect baby items to be sent to needy moms around the world through LDS Humanitarian Services. To my delight, I received donations from around the US and Canada. I hand-delivered the items to the LDS Humanitarian Services. Through your generosity we were able to bless 11 babies and their mothers with clothing, blankets, and hygiene items.

I'm working on another project for my birthday. I'll keep you posted. ;)

Well, thanks for sharing a blog flashback with me. I have a few things planned for the blog for the blog this year. I hope that you will join me on my journey. And, please, leave a comment sometimes. :)