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Blogging Highlights of Year 2012

As we near the “gate of the year,” I’ve been reflecting on all that happened in my first four months of blogging – – and it has been WAY more than I ever dreamed or imagined.

Here are some of my blogging highlights from The Thinking Closet’s inception in September 2012 through now:

Blogging Highlights of Year 2012 by The Thinking Closet

  • I have followers! This still boggles my mind, but there are people, all over the world, over 500 of them in fact, who stay in the loop on my posts whether it be through email, google+, Pinterest, or RSS feed. How cool is that? {Sending a big group hug to all of you who follow The Thinking Closet! You inspire me more than you know.}
  • I hosted my first giveaway. Reaching 100 email subscribers back in November felt like a blogging milestone worth celebrating. So, in effort to thank my readers for their support, I hosted a “100 Followers Giveaway” of 8 Anthropologie wallpaper coasters that I made this fall. Christine from Indiana was the gracious winner.

    DIY Wallpaper Coasters - 100 Followers Giveaway - Via The Thinking Closet
    DIY Wallpaper Coasters
  • An ah-ha moment. A turning point in my blogging was my post, “Ten Tips for New Bloggers…From a New Blogger.” This post was met with such an outpouring of positive responses: 178 comments to be exact (half of which are my own). Some people simply expressed gratitude for the tips I shared {ah ha: I have something to offer blogland, even after just two months of blogging}. Many had tips of their own to contribute {ah ha: blogging is collaborative}. I even received personal emails from several bloggers with specific questions on blogging or requests for my input on their blog {ah ha: as bloggers, we need each other}.  That post led me to connect with several bloggers that I now consider my “bloggy buddies,” which leads me to my next highlight.

    Ten Tips for New Bloggers...From a New Blogger via The Thinking Closet
    Check out the original post here.
  • Connecting with other bloggers. This has perhaps been one of the biggest surprises for me. Prior to starting The Thinking Closet, I envisioned blogging as a solitary activity; however, it has proven to be anything but that. There is quite an active community of women bloggers, and I’ve been so blessed to get to know some of them in 2012, many of whom have grown to become my most loyal readers (besides my family!): Christine, Robyn, Hannah, Katherine, Bethany, Alex, Kenley, Aubrey, Steph, Rachel, Cindy…and more. I have been truly blessed by the comments and encouragement from these women. Blogging has grown to become such a communal event for me, and I absolutely love connecting with other creatives out there.
  • Guest posting! In November and December, I guest posted on 4 other blogs: Blissful and Domestic, Sugar Bee Crafts, Lines Across, and my sister’s blog, squeeze it into little inkdrops. I also hosted my first 2 guest posters in December: Ruffly Ribbons & Ramblings and squeeze it into little inkdrops. All of these experiences were overwhelmingly positive and have just affirmed how much I enjoy collaborating with other bloggers.

    DIY Wrapping Paper Tutorial via The Thinking Closet
    Guest Post on Sugar Bee Crafts
  • One of my posts went viral on Pinterest!The Menu Planner to Rule Them All” has brought more traffic to this blog than anything else in 2012. Just when my stats have died down for a few days, it seems a big pinner will nab the menu planner, and wham! I’ll be flooded with a ton of visits from curious pinners. In trying to pinpoint why this post in particular has been so popular, I gleaned insight from my sister-in-law Jodi who said she thinks it’s my post title, which I wrote across my feature image. It’s catchy (especially for fans of Lord of the Rings) and everyone wants to find “the ultimate” or “best of all time” project. One menu planner to rule them all! Not sure there’s a formula for creating “viral” posts, but it was fun to hap upon it.

    The Menu Planner to Rule Them All via The Thinking Closet
    Click here to read the original post.
  • Finding out people actually use my tutorials. Every comment really does make my day, but the ones where people share, “My mom and I made this tree skirt over the weekend and had a ton of fun!” make me do a little jig around my living room! A few weeks ago, Jean Beaupre from Minneapolis, MN sent me a photo of the Christmas skirt that she made with her Mom after checking out my D.I.Y. No-Sew Ruffle Christmas Tree Skirt. I loved that she had not only used my tips, but made the project her own with new methods and materials. It was this wonderful moment of realizing I had inspired her, and in turn, she had inspired me. Check out her handiwork:
    Tree Skirt by Jean Beaupre from Minneapolis, MN
    Gotta love her puppy looking so regal by the new skirt!

    And here’s a pic of the menu planner that Anna Schaefer created after seeing mine.  She chose such a soothing color palette.

    Menu Planner by Anna Schaefer
    Love the rick rack she used around the border!
  • Flexing my muscles as a photographer. I have learned more about photography in these past four months than I have in my entire life. I know I still have many miles to go, but I feel so much more competent behind the lens than ever before, and I’m constantly learning new tricks and techniques. Thankfully, I married a man who has some major photog. skills and is usually nearby when I’m fiddling with his camera in low-lighting, trying to figure out how to capture a crisp, bright image. {Thank you, Mark.} I also had fun these past few months toying around with photo editing in iPhoto and pixlr. My go-to “effect” in pixlr is “Subtle – Sanna.” It gives my photos a boost of color vibrancy and a slightly blue hue.

    Pallet Christmas Card Display by The Thinking Closet
    Here’s where I discovered how to achieve a bokeh effect by shooting with a shallow depth of field.
  • Teaming up with my hubby, Mark. It has been such fun for Mark and I to join forces (drill and glue gun, unite!) on several projects. Some of my favorites were our Rustic Key & Sunglasses Holder, Pallet Christmas Photo Display, and Wood Pallet “Love Story” Sign (where Mark actually helped write his portion of the post). Further evidence that two are better than one:

    Mark & Lauren Projects on The Thinking Closet
    Can you tell we have a thing for rustic wood?
  • Gettin’ ‘er done! I know that having this blog and having an audience of readers have been the key factors in actually creating the projects that I pin on Pinterest. I am not a naturally disciplined person, so having the structure of a blog is exactly what a person like me needs to be productive. Our home is so much more homey now because of it.

Thanks for taking a look back with me! Stayed tuned for my New Year’s Eve post where I’ll take a look forward and share my dreams and goals for The Thinking Closet in year 2013.

This is Lauren, signing off.

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33 Comments

  1. Lauren, I am totally sucked into your blog right now! I CAN’T STOP READING! 🙂
    This post is amazing! What a fabulous start to blogging. 🙂 I can only hope that some day my semi-newborn little blog will know such success. From what I can tell, your success is well-deserved, and your blogging-tips posts are so insightful!! I am learning lots over here…
    ♥♥Monica
    mon makes things

    1. It makes me smile from ear to ear to read this comment, Monica. And to know that I didn’t pay you to write that! (Although maybe my mother did…ha ha.) Your blog is semi-newborn? That’s hard to believe! From your blog design to layout to photos to quality writing…everything just looks like that of a professional. You’re a natural! (And I’m guessing a hard worker, too.) Thanks for the sweet sweet words.

  2. Lauren,

    Lauren,

    You are one of the kindest, encouraging, creative individuals I’ve ever met in blog land! I only wish more people could be as inclusive and inviting as you are. There are quite a few that are…..but you take the cake!!! You’ve truly inspired and encouraged me along the way. I’m the accidental blogger who is so inconsistent that I lose people along the way. It’s only because I just don’t have the energy to keep up with all the ideas in my head (ha!) I am so happy to watch your growth. It truly brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart.

    1. Sandy, I think one of your gifts is verbal affirmation. And do you know that verbal affirmation is one of my love languages? So, I’m feelin’ the love right now! Thank you so much.

      It’s definitely my goal to make folk feel welcome and invited, so it delights me to hear that your experience aligns with that goal. I’ve always felt the same when visiting your blog, so don’t be so hard on yourself for not posting more consistently. You’ve not lost me!

  3. Lauren, you are the sweetest thing! Thank you for mentioning my blog. Even though I’ve been MIA most of this month, people are still visiting from your blog and I feel so honored.

    I always leave your blog with warm fuzzies. You have so much passion and sincerity in everything that you do, and it resonates throughout blogland. I’m so glad I get to call you my blogging buddy. You are really going to go far because you are so invested in helping others along the way, and it shows in everything you do on your blog. Thank you for being an inspiration in so many ways and for letting us all come along on your blogging journey!

    1. Wow. I feel so humbled by your kind and generous words, Robyn. I know I’m as flawed as they come, but I’m so glad to know that in spite of myself, and with God’s help, I’ve managed to offer some encouragement and support you in your artistic endeavors. I really think you are the bees knees – – it’s so easy to sing your praises, Robyn! Looking forward to getting to know you even more in this new year…and perhaps even trying some of your gorgeous dos.

  4. Wow, Laur. It’s sweet to take stock of where you’ve been and how far you’ve come. I remember how your “tips for new bloggers” rocked the blog-o-sphere (and still does!). And that’s awesome to know that your menu planner has resonated with so many…how insightful Jodi was about the draw of the title! The colors of your planner are also so appealing, too. Your blog is a warm, safe, and beautiful space, Lauren. Thank you for blessing us through it!

    1. Sister, you lift my spirit in so many ways, especially through your thoughtful and specific comments. Your blog has been such a reference point for me as I strive to emulate the thoughtful and heartfelt posts you share on squeeze it into little inkdrops. Thank you (though those words don’t feel strong enough).

  5. Congrats on amazing 4 months Lauren! I of course am not surprised as I’ve been lucky enough to see your creative mind in action for 15 years but you still do not cease to amaze me with every project you do! Looking forward to 2013. xoxo

    1. Thanks, Jaybird! You’ve made me so many creative gifts over the years, too, my friend…and are one of the most appreciative people I know. So, of course, you’re fun to make things for! Looking forward to catching up on the phone soon.

  6. This is a beautiful post. I would even go so far as to call it “one post to rule them all” for 2012, and who knows it may go viral! It’s been fascinating watching all of these creative ideas come to life and start to weave their way into our living environment. In particular, I have to say that your camera skills have just exploded, and you’ve also become much more facile with power tools in the last 4 months. Kudos!

  7. Awww!!! I made the list!!! I mentally jumped up and did a little dance while reading this! (((hugs!))) I’m so glad to have stumbled upon your blog. I recall it was the blogging tips that helped me find you. So glad I did! 😀

    1. Of course you did, Bethany! And yes, I was looking through the comments on that post recently and found your first one…first of many sweet comments! You’re a treasure of a gal. So glad that we’ve connected.

  8. Awww you are my bloggy buddy too 😀 that really made me smile!
    I’m on my way to check out your other buddies aswell.
    I was about to congratulate you on an amazing year, but you can’t really call it that what with you having only being blogging for less than a quarter of that! It is such a huge, outstanding achievement though, well done, your success is truly deserved xxx

    1. You are such an encouraging spirit, Hannah! Thanks for being such a great buddy to me. I only wish the distance between us wasn’t so great, so that I could take you out for coffee and a face-to-face chat! Wishing you a wonderful 2013 on “made with hugs and kisses” and beyond.

      1. We will have to make do with virtual coffee and blogging chats I’m afraid. It is just typical we live so far apart! I seem to keep finding great blogs and chatting to lovely people, almost all of which live half way across the world! There should be a filter so that I can find bloggers who live nearby – but at the same time, then I wouldn’t find such amazing blogs like yours! 😀 xxx

  9. So much fun to read your highlights and see how much you’ve taught and inspired us and that you have learned from others, too! What a great community you have in blog-land and such a great partner in Mark! It will be interesting to see how that community develops in 2013 and how your face-to-face community will grow as well…and perhaps the two worlds will nicely collide, I mean interface! 🙂

    1. Thanks for being such a huge support to me, especially with my blog. It has been a great way to stay connected to you, Dad, and Lisbeth despite the distance! Yes, I’m very much looking for 2013 and all that it holds. Ha ha, and I loved your comment about having my worlds “interface.” I hope for that, too!

  10. Laur,
    I sit in awe at what you have learned and created with passion and excitement this year. I especially admire your photography which I find often turns my mouth into an “o” shape and then morphs itself into a smile. I especially remember the tree topper photo at the end of your post as a festival of delicious lights. You bring light and love to your blog followers. To continue your Inkling reference, I can’t wait to see where your “unexpected journey” takes you this coming year.

    Love,
    Dad

    1. Dad, thank you for this specific, thoughtful feedback…and for your Tolkien reference. I certainly appreciate it! Also, thank you for inspiring me so much in my creative endeavors, and for inspiring me through yours. The incredible music your arranged, directed, and performed at the Christmas Eve service still lingers in my memory….

  11. Awww, thanks for mentioning me and I really am a follower to the very end. Every now and then you come across bloggers where you just connect and not only do you get things from them but it goes both ways, and the connection grows. I’m so happy to have “met” you on here and have had so many great conversations with you. I very much enjoy your posts and look forward to many more talks, lessons learned and knowledge exchanged. I’m going to check out those other followers you listed because if they follow you then I just have to check them out! 🙂

    I really loved everything in this post and I’m so happy for you! I especially love how it made you feel when someone used one of your tutorials. I had a couple people try my recipes (not yet my tutorials, that I know of) and it was so nice to know. Though I don’t have nearly as many followers as you I enjoy every person that decides to spend any portion of their time on my blog, let alone comment on it. It humbles me every time. I just finished writing my Best of 2012, which is similar to this one, and really, like you pointed out, it’s amazing how much I have learned and grown in such a short period of time. Happy New Year to you Lauren. 🙂

    All the best you you!
    Aubrey

    1. Aubrey, I love how you pour just as much thought and care into your comments as you do your amazing blog posts! Thank you for each and every word.

      And I, too, have felt such a kindredness to you ever since reading your first comment on my “Spending Less to Give More” post. Now, I’m a faithful follower of Project Lovegood and have already gleaned so much inspiration from your creations and tips…in fact, you can anticipate a shout out to one of your recent posts in my “Blogging Dreams and Goals for 2013” post to come.

      Yes, do check out some of the other lovely ladies I mentioned; they are all not only gifted bloggers, but such encouraging souls.

      Looking forward to growing together in blogland in the new year!

  12. Hi Lauren,
    Congrats on such success and pleasure in such a short time blogging! You’re doing a great job and I’ve enjoyed following you. Looking forward to what the New Year brings over here at the thinking closet.
    Happy New Year!
    Jessica @ A Humble Creation

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