Is There A Blog Party For This?

I love blog parties. I can spend hours hopping from one to another until my brain is so full of ideas it's about ready to pop. And it's fun to post on blog parties too ...especially when you've got something exciting to share.

But what about when you don't?

Have you ever worked on little projects all day only to sit down at your computer that evening to post Something Wonderful and realize that, as busy as you were, you didn't create anything party-worthy?

I love the bloggers who host the parties I join and appreciate how hard they work to keep their parties going each week. I really do. But the ones that I like the best have words in their titles like "Wow Me",  "Inspiration", "Metamorphosis",  "Vintage",  "Treasures" and "Transformation". Those are pretty intimidating powerful words. Sometimes, after a day like today, I feel good about all that I've accomplished, yet not one of the things I did seems to measure up to those words.

Leaving me nothing to blog about. So maybe I should just start my own blog party (if I ever find the time) about "NOTHING".  Jerry Seinfeld did pretty well with that idea, right?

I could dedicate my party to real women like me who can stay busy all day doing nothing inspirational, nothing transformational, nothing extraordinary...without one vintage treasure to show for it. Even women who accomplish nothing at all could join in. We could just compare notes about how tired we are from doing nothing. Hmmm...now I might be onto something!

Today would have been the perfect day for me to write the first post for my new blog party about "Nothing" because today I...

1. Finally sewed buttons on the clothes I haven't been able to wear because they had lost a button.
Reason for Blog Party Rejection: Not Inspirational.

2. Hemmed jeans. (Boy do I hate this job...put it off as long as I could.)

Reason for Blog Party Rejection:  Transformational...but missing the Wow factor.

3. Managed to find enough decent extension cords to light up most of the Halloween decorations.
Reason for Blog Party Rejection:  Electrifying but Not Creative

4. Learned to operate our new TV...while wearing 3D glasses!
Reason for Blog Party Rejection:  Definitely Not a Vintage Find

5. Made Tootsie-Roll Pops Into Spiders.

Reason for Blog Party Rejection: Idea Stolen from a...Blog Party!

Add to this some laundry, cleaning and and cutting out pumpkin noses (don't ask!) for my daughter's birthday party tomorrow and you get the idea....a busy day with not one inspirational, transformational, unique or vintage thing to show for it.

Haven't we all had days full of little accomplishments that aren't quite exciting enough to blog about?
So...who's in?  On the party each week I could even highlight the bloggers who accompished the least...or those really wild women who dared to go a whole week doing Absolutely Nothing. Ready to join me and start blogging about Nothing?

 I bet we could have quite a party!

I couldn't stay away...I'm linking this post up to:

Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors

Show & Tell Saturday at Be Different, Act Normal

Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Potpourri Party at 2807

Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now

Sweet Saturday at Gingerbread

Blog Stalking Thursdays at The Crafty Blog Stalker

Show Off Your Cottage Monday at The House In the Roses

Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On the Porch

Confessions of a Copycat: 4 Blog-Inspired Fall Projects

It's our turn to host our "Gourmet Group" tonight and I've been busy getting our home ready this week. The goal is to "Wow Them"...which  is quite a challenge after 30 years of  monthly dinners at each other's houses (could we possibly be that old?). Since my DH is the chef, I concentrate on the cleaning decorating and the table.  But after hosting the same "gourmands" almost 100 times over these many years, coming up with fresh ideas is more and more of challenge each time.

So where do I go for inspiration?  I visit other blogs, of course! And my blog friends always come through...in fact, you're all so talented and creative that, this time, decorating for the big event has been a joy. Here are a few of the projects you've inspired...

1. Pottery Barn Inspired Dough Bowl from Debbie at Confessions of a Plate Addict.

This is the gorgeous centerpiece that Debbie showed how to make on her blog here...

And the humble version I put together last night...

I think it will look beautiful when I light the candles for dinner tonight. And without Debbie's tutorial, I never would have thought to hide pinto beans under those acorns to hold the candles straight.

Thanks, Debbie!

2. Fall Subway Art Printable from Kristin at A Simply Klassic Home.

I loved this fall printable which I found while blog-hopping last night...maybe it's the "pumpkin spice latte" part that subliminally caught my attention!

 And here's how I used it in my dining room hutch...

Thank you so much, Kristin, for the printable...and the inspiration.

3.  Spiders in my stockings.

This idea came from Shirley at  Sweet Romantic Notions. Thanks to her comment on my Halloween stocking post, I really do have spiders in my stockings now (guess it's a step up from ants in my pants!).

Shirley wrote, "These stockings are so wild..I love them..and I would fill them with all sorts of Halloween things from spiders to candy corn!"  Well, Shirley, you were right...that big old spider I picked up at the dollar store after reading your comment is just the finishing touch this project needed.

4. Orange watering can from Debra at Common Ground.

Here's Debra's version...my inspiration photo...I just love the unexpected pop of orange amongst all the white on her porch...

And mine. As you can see, it is a work in progress...

And finally, just to let you know that there really is a 30-year-old  "Gourmet Group"...here we are in 1982. I'm in the green sweater and my sister, Nancy, is in the lavender jacket. Sadly, we've lost two members of our group, but we haven't lost the tradition of monthly dinners together. Good friends...getting together through life's ups and downs for 30 years...what could be better than that? (Maybe I'll take some photos tonight and you'll see that we haven't aged  a bit in 29 years!)

So this is a big thank you to all of you for continually inspiring me with your amazing ideas...you ladies ROCK!  Now I'd better get down to the kitchen and see how dinner's coming along...

This post is happily linked to:

Saturday Night Special at Funky Junk Interiors

Show & tell Saturdays at Be Different, Act Normal

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Farmhouse Friday at Laurie Anna's Vintage Home

Sister Sunday Link Party at Sisters of the Wild West

Potpourri Party at 2805

Blog Comments...How Important Are They To You?

Do you ever wonder why some blog posts get 40 or 50 comments and others get 4 or 5? Do you care? Or do you just blog for the sheer enjoyment of meeting new people and exploring your own creativity?

I've been inspired by the refreshing honesty of some of the recent  posts Brenda has been writing at one of my favorite blogs, Cozy Little House. Inspired enough to risk a bit of soul-baring myself. So, I'll admit it...

I feel terrible when I work hard on a post and look down a day later to see that dreaded phrase "0 Comments". Does that sound stupid to you? Or (keepin' it real now), do you do the same thing...sneak to the computer, scroll down, and wait with trepidation for the comments to come rolling straggling in?

I started my little blog as a way of remembering the fun I had with my sister, Nancy. When I blog I almost feel as if I am sharing my experiences with her...as I used to do over her kitchen table most afternoons. I never gave much thought to my "audience" and told myself that it really didn't matter if anyone read my posts..."I'm doing this for me", I told myself.

But I realized this weekend, when no comments came in on my last post, that...hard as it is to admit...it does matter. I do care. I want to know that others are reading my blog. And when I do get lots of comments, I find myself going into my Sally Field-at-the-Oscars mode..."They like me, they really like me". Silly, huh?

I guess, as a teacher, I know intellectually that positive reinforcement works with kids...it's hard to admit that it works for me too. When a post gets lots of comments, my head fills with ideas and I can't wait to start working on the next one. When a post gets few comments (or none?), I'm like a little kid thinking, "Ouch...I never want to do that again".

So, what do you think? Do you care how many people comment on your blog? Do you find that some types of posts get more comments than others? Is it an art or a science, this blogging thing we do?

I haven't exactly been moping around while pondering these "heavy" questions about blogging. Over the weekend, I've been busy decorating for fall and preparing for a dinner party we are hosting next weekend.

I found these free printable fall place cards to download and thought I would share them with you. You can download and print them (I used heavy oak tag) from the HGTV site here.

Although they are tagged "Thanksgiving Place Cards", three of the four on each sheet are simple fall motifs. I used bent paperclips to stick them into little apple baskets that I found for $1.00 each...each place card will do double-duty as a favor for guests to take home.

I'd love to hear how you feel about your blog comments...

Meanwhile, I'm off to work on a menu to go with those place cards...see where my priorities lie?

Yup, craft now...cook later!

I'm linking this post up to:

at Sisters of the Wild West

at Under the Table and Dreaming

at House In the Roses

Matamorphosis Monday

at Between Naps On the Porch

Keeping It Simple

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

at Coastal Charm

Tuesday's Treasures

Why Do We Blog?

Why do we blog?
As busy as we are, many of us choose to spend a good deal of time working on our blogs. I wonder why?

Is it our love of the written word? 
I know that's part of it for me...I love to write...and blogging allows me to write for a "real" audience. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are quick and fun but they just don't provide the same kind of opportunity for creative writing that blogging does.

"Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning:  I wanted to know what I was going to say."  ~Sharon O'Brien

Is it our love of photography?

Since I've been blogging, my camera has become another means of self-expression. I never leave home...or work at home...without it nearby.

"To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place...I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them."  - Elliot Erwitt

Is it the love of our homes?
We spend so much time creating a home that reflects our personalities and interests...

Collecting and displaying favorite vintage objects...

And painting, hammering, sewing and gluing together little patches of our lives...

That sometimes we just can't wait to share them with others.

Is blogging about a need to record our lives...to leave something of ourselves behind?

This is my diary from 6th grade...in 1959. My blog is like my e-diary...I like being able to look back through previous posts ...just as I did years ago with written journals. I especially love rereading the posts that my sister, Nancy, wrote, when we blogged together at It's Always Something...it's like hearing her voice again.

Remember diaries with keys?  An Internet diary has no key ... your sisters and brothers finally get to read your "diary"!

Do we blog to connect with others?

For me that is a big part of blogging.

It sounds counter intuitive that the busier we are in today's world, the more time many of us spend on the computer...blogging and commenting back and forth with one another. But maybe it is exactly because we are so busy that we enjoy our blog friendships so much.

We may not have the time our mothers had to visit each other's homes for coffee...

But, through our blogs, we can make new friends with similar interests...from all over the world...and keep in touch with them at a time that works best for us. For me that's often at 1:00 a.m., when the house is finally quiet, or very early in the morning before I leave for school.

So...now that I've 'fessed up. I'd love to hear from you.

Why do you blog?

Today I am linking up to: