Blog by the Numbers

Last week I asked you guys to participate in my first reader survey, and you guys totally stepped up!  I am so grateful to all of you who gave me your feedback- you are so wonderful!  I thought that I would share the results of the survey with you today and discuss what they mean for me moving forward.

I wasn't really surprised by the demographic information that I got out of this survey.   I expected that most of you were on Blogger, which worries me a little moving to a self-hosted WordPress blog.  You guys will follow me over there even though I won't have GFC, right?

I was overwhelmed by how many of you said that you read the blog because of me, so I guess it makes sense that daily life posts are the crowd favorite.  I was so excited that that was the clear choice, because those are by far my favorite posts to write!  Friday Links are also not going anywhere, although I'm thinking about giving it a new, more original name.

I'm glad that design and blogging tips is the topic that most people want to see more of- because that's definitely part of the plan!  Posts about my daily life are also going to be a focus.  As part of that, recipes and outfits will probably make occasional appearances, depending on the season and how life is going (you'll notice that I usually have more cooking posts in the winter and more outfit posts in the summer!)

Sketchbook pages are absolutely in the works!  I don't have any DIY or craft posts on the horizon, but I'll keep in mind that you guys are interested.  I'm hoping to spruce up our apartment a little, maybe that will fall into that category!

The topics that you guys were least interested in were entertainment and guest posts and feature posts.  Again, you guys kinda read my mind.  I've decided to keep most entertainment thoughts to Twitter, and I don't have any guest posts on my mind as of now (although when I go out of town they're likely to make an appearance!)

As far as post frequency goes... I'll definitely be posting at least once a day.  Sometimes more, depending on if I have a lot of design projects finishing up or other time sensitive posts.  My plan for now is to still do a post for a lot of the designs that I do, because sharing my process with you guys is one of my favorite parts of my job.  I'll try not to post too much, I promise!

I was so interested to see how you guys follow blogs!  I was surprised that more of you don't use Facebook, because I know that these days that's one of my main ways.  I will be using all of those ways to promote my blog except for GFC, of course- I hope those of you who use that will find other ways of following!

The part where I asked you why you read my blog was so sweet.  You guys said the nicest things, and I felt so good after reading them.  Thank you.  Many of you pointed out exactly what it was that inspired you about my blog, but most of you just pointed out that you can relate to me and that's what keeps you coming back.  We hear it over and over again that being yourself is the best thing you can do, but somehow having you guys say it to me the way you did really helped remind me that authenticity is what this is all about.  I hope that my new space will allow what makes me me shine through even more than it has here.

I also really loved seeing all the different kinds of people who filled out the survey.  From my very first blog friends, to people I "met" just days ago on a variety of social platforms, all the way to my 8th grade art teacher... you guys are awesome.  Thank you so much for taking the time to fill this out, and more importantly, read my blog.

I don't have any links this week, but I'd love to hear what you're up to this weekend!  I'll be plugging away, getting everything ready for the relaunch.

Blog Style to Personal Style on Curating Style

Don't you love it when things kinda come full circle?  Today I'm on Curating Style talking about how my personal style relates to my rebranding.  And this blog too.  Go check it out!

What do you think?

I've been thinking for a long time now about this whole relaunch business.  Let me tell you, I've thought a lot.  I've picked out fonts and colors, and I've thought long and hard about how I'm going to meld these three blogs together.  But when I go to outline what this new space is and what it isn't, sometimes things get a little fuzzy for me.  It wasn't until recently that I realized that part of the puzzle was missing.

That's where you come in.  That missing piece?  Is knowing what YOU think.  I don't know what you, my beloved readers, want to see on my new blog.  So I've made a nifty little survey to help you tell me what you want to see.  It would mean the world to me if you would help me by filling it out.  It should take you less than 10 minutes, and you can give me as much or as little feedback as you want.  I want to hear it!

Click here to take the survey!

Beach Week Recap

Thank you so much to all of my guest posters this week!  You can click on the images to be taken to the posts, and you can find the links to their blogs at the bottom.  Have a great weekend, I'll be back next week!

Curating Style

Priceless Adventure

Elembee Etc.

Seventeenth and Irving

it's official

I've been hinting at it for a while, but since we're exactly a month away, I wanted to make it official!  On August 27th, I'll be launching new blog called Katelyn Brooke Blog.  It will be a combination of my three blogs.  I'll be transferring the old content and everything, and I'll be posting a combination of life and design posts, including some more sketchbook posts.  I'm so excited to have everything in one place!  I'm also going to give my website a little makeover to coordinate with the new look.  I hope you'll follow me over there when the time comes!

I'm leaving for vacation tonight, but don't worry- I have a week's worth of posts lined up for next week!  I loved having guest bloggers over Spring Break, I thought it would be fun to feature some more bloggers while I'm away.  I hope you'll come and show them some love while I'm gone!

Loved the branding on this blog design.

Check out the blogging pyramid.

I need to make an "I don't" list.

A media kit is also on my to-do list!

Loved this honest post.

Gone early.

Got any NYC tips?

What's on your bucket list? Vlog link up!

I'm so excited to be participating in this link-up today! However, Youtube was being really annoying when I went to make my vlog, so this was like the second time I recorded the video in full, so some words of caution before you press play:

• I feel like I sound like more of an idiot than I did on my other vlogs.  Sorry for all the "likes" and "whatevers."
• There's not a ton of content in here.  Emily hit 21 bullets on her bucket list.  That girl is a champ.  I think I have about 4.
• There is mad glare from the window that I am sitting next to.  Sorry about that.

Now go forth and link up or just watch the other videos!  What's on your bucket list?

Elsewhere Today

Guess what?  I'm over on Anna Delores Blog today talking about Pinterest!  Go say hi!

6 months

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!  In December when I was doing my recap for 2011, I posted some stats about my blog.  Since six months have passed, I thought it would be fun to post them again to see how my blog has progressed!  I tweaked some of the categories a little bit, but here they are!

Fun Facts

(from January 1- June 30, 2012)

Most read post: DIY Jewelry Organizer

Top referring blog: Something Charming

GFC Follower Count: 364 (I had 84 on December 30th!)

Feedburner Subscribers: 419

Twitter followers: 451 (80 as of December 30th)

Pinterest stats: 3021 pins, 30 boards

Since today is the last day of June, I also wanted to give a shout out to my June swappers.  Each and every one of them is awesome, make sure you check them out if you haven't already!

Saturday Spotlight

I've got two more wonderful bloggers to share with you guys today!  This is going to be my last Saturday Spotlight for a while, so make sure you check out these blogs!  I've really enjoyed featuring these other bloggers, and you can still see all of my previous spotlights.

Gaby's blog is just beautiful!  She writes about her travels, yoga, and vegetarian eating on her blog.  Her perspective is always really interesting, and she has great style to boot.  Go say hi!

a yoga post | a crafty post | a travel post

Eliza lives about an hour away from me, and I had the pleasure of meeting her a few weeks ago.  She is just as sweet in person as she is on her blog!  She writes about her life and she always has fun stories and tips to share.  Go check her out!

Weekend Recap | Taking Care | Married to an Innie

Change of Plans

Isn't it funny how sometimes when you put words to something you're thinking about, the answer will suddenly present itself?  That's what happened last week after I wrote my post about simplifying my life.  I'd been stressing about work.  One of the biggest things I had on my plate was my site relaunch, which I had been planning on doing at the beginning of July.  As I was getting ready for bed that night, it occurred to me that this was largely a self-imposed deadline.  July was the earliest that I could relaunch my site, so that's when I had planned to do it.  But it didn't even really make sense to do it then.

I decided right then that I needed to push back my relaunch to the end of August.  My plans had been made out of impatience rather than strategic planning.  I immediately felt much more relaxed.

The day after I posted about simplifying, Jess of Makeunder My Life posted a list of things that she is going to cut to relieve some of her stress.  I thought this was an awesome idea, and made my own list of things that I am not going to worry about:

• Relaunch in July. It just makes more sense to do it at the end of August, and patience is a virtue.
• Swap ads in July. One of my first thoughts after deciding to delay my relaunch was "that means that I need to find swappers in July!" The stress came back almost immediately. The thing is, I don't need to. So I'm not.
• Reply to every comment. This one is hardest for me, because some of my best blogger interactions have been through email, so I really want to reply to each and every comment.  But what happens is I let comments sit in my inbox and I stress over things to say in response. The thing is, some comments just don't require a response. So I'm letting myself off the hook. If I get too behind, I'm giving myself permission to archive all those emails, and start from scratch if I have to.

There's still a lot that I need to do even without worrying about these things, but I definitely feel like my workload is more manageable.

On a lighter note, how was your weekend?  With a wedding on Saturday and Father's Day on Sunday, mine was fun but a little crazy.  I got to hang with my dad yesterday, which is always fun (I may or may not have been in a food coma, but I think he was cool with it.)  Happy Father's Day, Dad!  And today is my parents' anniversary, so Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!  I love you guys!

Simplify

Yesterday I looked at all the posts on my home page and realized that almost every post was either about a guest post, a sponsor feature, or was either coming off of or looking forward to the weekend.  That's crazy!  There's really only one explanation for it: I've totally over committed myself.  And not just last week, like for a few months.

The thing is, I've been going a mile a minute since February.  I've been trying to build my business and whatnot, and when we were in Lexington, Brian was studying for finals and it was fine.  I got by.  But ever since we moved back, I haven't been spending as much time on work, but I've been stressing more because I'm committed to the same amount of things, but don't have as much time to complete them as I did before.

So the last few weeks or so I've been really trying to simplify.  I took a long hard look at my commitments, and tried to figure out what I could cut.  One of the things that I decided just wasn't fitting into my schedule was writing for LA Family.  I loved writing those articles and interacting with the other writers, but at the end of the day it was just another thing on my to-do list.  I still have a long way to go, but I'm trying to be more aware of the choices I make and how I spend my time.

Have you had to simplify lately? I'd love to hear how you did it!

Elsewhere and a Weekend Recap

Good morning, friends!  I've been loving Lisa's At the Moment series for a while now, so I was thrilled when she asked me to participate!  Lisa is the incredibly talented designer behind Elembee Creative, and she doesn't hold back on any of her blog posts.  Her collages are amazing!  Go check it out!

How was your weekend?  I spent a lot of time in the yard with my mom, got to see one of our law school friends on Saturday (hi Liz!), and then yesterday I got to go to the pool!  In case you hadn't noticed, I've been chomping at the bit since we don't belong to a pool this year, so it was pretty much heaven.  I also started Creative Inc., which I'm loving so far.

Friday Links

{I creepily snapped this photo near my neighbor's mailbox while on a walk the other night.  Aren't those colors amazing?}

What are you up to this weekend?  I don't really have any plans, but I have a feeling that some work will be involved.  This week has just flown by as usual, and I have some catching up to do!  But I hope this amazing weather keeps going, I think so far this is the most beautiful June I've ever experienced.

 

I really need to think about these things over the next few weeks!

Because sandwiches with local flair are really cool.

I sure hope so!

I could have written this about my own backyard.

Great business tips and a new book to read! (that I just bought today!)

A very blogger weekend.

June's Art to Inspiration post.

The deal with ad swapping.

What I'd put in my beach bag.

The first Saturday Spotlight of June!

Art to Inspiration: Ricci

It's time for another Art to Inspiration post!  This month we are looking at "Float" by Jill Ricci.  I'm a true procrastinator, so naturally I was planning how I was going to put this post together as I was falling asleep last night.  I was picturing the piece in my head, and the word "plates" popped into my head.  It was actually kind of funny.

My mom has plates hanging everywhere in our house.  They're all over the place.  I love how different each of them are, and how some of the scenes seem to tell their own little story.  I guess I'm just easily influenced by my surroundings, because last month's post was very much inspired my parents' house as well.

If you're interested in joining in the fun the Art to Inspiration Fun, click here!

P.S. I'm doing a vlog tomorrow about ad swapping on Katelyn Brooke Designs!  If you have a question you'd like me to answer, ask it here.

a blogger's weekend

This weekend was pretty crazy and chock full of blogger stuff.  On Saturday I made sure that I sat down and participated in Blog Brunch.  I've been doing these for about six months now, and they are always extremely helpful.  This month's topic was Facebook, and it seemed to be bigger than ever before!  I learned a ton, and I'm planning on revamping my Facebook page soon.  You should like it if you haven't already, I'm planning on using it to leak some of the details of my relaunch in the coming month or so!

On Sunday I attended Blogger Blitz, which was my first blogger meet-up ever!  It was really exciting!  I met up with Eliza beforehand and we headed into DC together.  The even was held at Marvin, which was pretty awesome, and {av} did an amazing job coordinating the event!  I got to meet some of bloggers that I already knew in person and I was introduced to many other wonderful bloggers that were new to me as well!  It was a little overwhelming seeing so many new and familiar faces in one place, but I seriously can't wait for the next one!  Come back to DC soon, {av}!  I didn't bring my camera (I know, lame!) but if you follow me on Twitter I'll make sure to tweet any pictures I catch of me floating around the internet.

How was your weekend?

a summer dessert

Remember when I used to write food posts?  Well, today one of my food posts is up on Simply Irresistible!

Lara is getting married this weekend and I was so happy to do a guest post for her!  Go check out this recipe, it's a family favorite!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Hi! It's Monday.

I was recording my vlog for my LA Family article this week, and I thought it would be fun to say hi to you guys.  So if you want to hear about my weekend or if you need a little laugh today, watch my vlog.



One things I left out: I ran 7 miles yesterday.  Ouch.  Just be glad I didn't think to whine at you guys in my vlog, because that would have been reallly annoying.

Don't forget to tell me about your weekend!  It always brightens my day.  Have a great Monday, friends!

out and about

Eliza of Case Study was nice enough to have me guest post on her blog while she is away in Maine!  It's a Day in the Life post, so I'm talking about what I'm up to these days.  Go check it out and leave some love!

I also had another article go up on LA Family today!  And guess what?  There's another VLOG in it for you if you go check it out!  Be sure to look at the screen capture before you press play, it's pretty nice.  It's such a huge help to have you guys read it and comment on it, thank you all again for your support!

My favorite thing about writing these articles is getting to read all the great stuff that the other columnists write.  I think that our experiences as young adults right now are pretty unique in the grand scheme of things, and there's not enough opportunity to connect.  If you have a story to share, get in touch with the editor!  You can email him at editor {at} lafamily {dot} com.  They're going to be looking for guest columnists, and it's a great way to get your name out there!  You can also email me if you have any questions! (stripesandpolkadots {dot} blog {at} gmail {dot} com)

babbling and a picture of bread

Is it cool if I throw a picture of bread at you guys and just start rambling at you?  You'll still love me, right?  That's what I thought.  You guys are sweet like that.

I keep thinking about all those Things I'm Afraid to Tell You posts.  I didn't write one myself partly because I didn't really have time and nothing specific came to mind.  As I was paying the bills today and stressing over my student loans and bank account today, I came up with one.  I worry about money all the time.  Well, scratch that.  Sometimes I go a few days without thinking about it, but then when I realize that I haven't been thinking about it I feel guilty and worry more than I would have.

The thing is that regardless of how much money we have, putting my energy into worrying about it doesn't really do me any good.  I know this.  But it doesn't stop me from feeling like I don't make enough money and like maybe I should be pursuing something that would bring in the big bucks.  Or just bigger bucks.

Do you have something that you're always worrying about?  Tell me about it while I go cut myself another of slice cinnamon swirl bread.  It's that kind of day.

from the balcony: a series

I took some pictures from our balcony the morning before we moved out, and I never posted them. Instead of posting them by themselves, I thought I would put them all together in the same place as a way of documenting the seasons from the first year in our little apartment.

One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Album

P.S.  My second article on LA Family is UP! Like I said, I would be so grateful for any feedback or help you could give me sharing, tweeting, commenting, rating it- I appreciate every bit of it!