Very cool Jen. I look forward to reading your blog. I too love colour and the same as you I get cheered by the brightness and playfulness it brings.

As for a blog, I don't think I could ever do one. Or if I did no one would ever see what I have written. My grammar stinks and I don't think my taste would do anything for anyone being as I can't seem to bring it all together. I suppose if I wanted to be ridiculed by strangers, then maybe. Anyway Hurray for you!

Linda

Thanks, Linda! I wish you would create a blog! I'd love to read what you write - and you are incorrect about your grammar "stinking", you big silly!

I'm not blogging because I expect anyone to read it, but I've always enjoyed writing/journaling, and I look at this as a good way to keep an online diary and to keep my focus on "home and hearth", when other things start getting me down. I'm amazed at the wealth of blogs out there that are devoted to home-related things. Since I love vintage stuff and cottages, I'm especially interested in blogs that relate to those subjects, and boy! There's a lot of them out there! Fun! :-)

I'm gonna read it! I signed up LOL
It looks great and there is no such thing as too many decorating blogs LOL

I have recently started blogging as well. I am not sure that it is just about homes though. Some days are about my kids, which I am sure you don't care to hear about. LOL. On Tuesday I like to join in Tempt My Tummy Tuesday listing my favorite recipes. On Fridays I post show and tell and usually it is decor related. On the other days, it is free for all. Hope you stop by and take a look though.

Auntjen, I love your house! It is so cheerful! I will definitely follow your blog!

Here is a link that might be useful: My blog.... Long Ramblings

I am so glad you are interested in this. I have to admit that very recently I got my little feelings hurt over a couple of comments about blogs and people who write them. I really need to develop a thicker skin, I guess.

Anyways, I'm sure you've seen my blogs. I use blogger.com
Recently I've been working at creating my own graphics for my blogs to give them a more personalized feeling. On Blogger you can do as much or as little as you want. Once you've registered, you can get a new blog up and going in just a few minutes, which is probably why I have so many!

The reason I started doing blogs, was mainly to share pictures. When we did our staircase, it was so much easier to just describe it in a blog where I could give step by step information.
My blogs are not diaries, but I do try to inject some humor when describing my decorating screw-ups and mishaps. So, I post when I've done something new, never on a regular basis.

Finally, the main reason I decided to use blogger is this: We have a lot of new people who come and go on this website. However, I was pretty sure that if I kept repeatedly posting the same old pictures that most had seen too many times, that someone was going to get snarky to me! With a blog I can just link to the pic, if you want to look at it, it's there, if you've seen it before, just ignore.

Here is a link that might be useful: blog list

I didn't know you could sign up. How do you do that?

Great start, auntjen, that yellow chair is very welcoming; it must be very therapeutic to write and share, I'm tempted to do that.

I do have a blog, although not really about decorating, I suppose in a way it could be considered decor related seeing art is something people put in their homes as decoration, right? :)
I haven't posted to it since May, though, as we were too involved with getting our numerous household projects completed and I wasn't doing any art. With the renovations going on, my studio was out of commission for months. It is finally functional again and I am back to the drawing board, literally. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Frayed Brushes

Great job, Jen! Your homepage looks so professional. This is the perfect undertaking for you. Your house is adorable, your write really, really well, & you have a multitude of creative ideas. You post really interesting threads here, & the blog will give you another outlet to express your thoughts & talents & share them with others. Think of all the folks out there who don't know you from GW who will now have a chance to benefit from your insights & creativity! We can't hog you to ourselves here!

Keep up the excellent work. I look forward to seeing more!

Wonderful job on your blog Jen...
as well as the others posted here, so far.
Loved your art balego.

I don't have a blog, but have a website since Aug 1999 (before blogs!)
My son helped me build it, and it's been great fun.
I originally built it for our pond and gardens. I then added the 'woodworking' link for our woodworking projects and then a link for our 'decorating' and upholstering projects.
It's hard to imagine that I have had over 118,000 visitors and over 700 people signed my guestbook, even a famous person. It's also funny, that I was just thinking that maybe this will be my last year for my website.
I think it's 'specially fun to read a blog or website when you know the person. :)

Joann

Here is a link that might be useful: CJ's Adventures in Ponding

Wonderful blog Jen! I look forward to reading your posts. I had a blog that I used when we were building our house to share pictures with my family (who are just as OC as I am). Postings have been sparse since we finished the brunt of the project, but you might just inspire me to keep it going... I guess I just don't know what I would say these days... The building process was so busy, and now we have settled into the 'comfort' stage.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our new home blog

Jen, you are off to a great start. The blog for my shop is not personal, so I don't know that it really applies, but I'll give the link. I wanted to post to it every 3 to 5 days, but I'm lucky to do it weekly. I need to take more pictures so I'll have better ones to choose from. We are in the middle of redecorating the store for the Holidays, so I blogged about another blog to fill in!
I love Designs by Gollum and have her link on my blog! Her pictures are wonderful!

Here is a link that might be useful: shop blog

Congratulations, Aunt Jen. You have a good start. I wish you much success.

Not sure why, but every time I go to Hollygolightly's blog (Designs by Gollum) my computer freezes up and I have to reboot. I have been trying that blog for sometime. Must be my newest installations from Mozilla/Firefox.

hello jen :)
went into your blog and it's beautiful! the colors are just gorgeous... makes one feel so happy and uplifted :) keep up the good work and keep the colors coming! :)

i just started a new blog as well. but mine's not as colorful :( if you like you can check it out at the link below :)

hugs
"luthien" :)

Here is a link that might be useful: my arty-diy-homedecor blog :)

hello jen:)

i have a websit about home decor,if you like you can check it out at the link below

Here is a link that might be useful: home decor paintings

WOW spam flooding the gates

Congrats Jen! Enjoyed reading your new blog! I will add it to my list of morning reads! Look forward to more.

Jen,

I generally am a cool, calm color palate kinda gal and really don't like other peoples' bright colors and painted trim. As a matter of fact, I thought it couldn't be done well. You have totally changed my mind. You do it so well and I've always loved your home. I even am beginning to think about, gasp, doing it in my home. My newest project ended up being an orange closet (Hm. still hiding it in a closet, so I guess I have not "come out" yet).

You're making me push my boundaries! I am glad you started a blog, so I can come over and drool over your stuff, just by clicking one link!

gzlpw, you spamming , you no can do that.

Wow! Thank you all so very much for the kind words and encouragement! And thanks to all who have linked to their blogs and websites. I'm really looking forward to reading what everyone has out there!

I so often feel completely uncreative -- like those juices are in the process of drying up and ceasing to flow -- so I'm hoping that (if I can manage to keep this up), I'll re-energize that part of my brain a bit. We shall see ...

Rob333, your closet pic makes me smile from ear to ear! That's an absolutely luscious color -- will you share what it is?

And sorry that this post apparently "invited" the spammers. I wondered if it would when I posted, and sure enough. ::sigh::

Japanese Koi. It's from Lowe's, so basic Valspar

Here is a link that might be useful: color chart.

I hope I didn't come across as a spammer. I don't have anything for sale on our blog, so I thought it would be fine. We have some before and after shots that might be of interest to some. I do apologize if it wasn't appropriate.

I would never consider a lurker who has been around awhile, a spammer. Registered and posted on the same day, probably.

Jen, you asked in your first post about if subjects come easily, how often do we post, etc. When I started my blog it was just a place that I could post where my friends and family could go see what I'm up to. A blog was something I could do myself without having to know about HTML or anything like that.

But I also realized that others could pass through and take a look and that would be okay, too. So when I first signed up, I sat and looked at the box where I was to type my post, and I didn't have a THING to say! lol
I don't know how many times I started a sentence, deleted it. Started again. Deleted it. Everything I typed seemed so lame. I still have trouble with the text part of posting as I find I can't express myself or let myself just relax and be me.

I'm not selling anything either. . Nope. I'm just hoping to be discovered by a famous critic and become known as one of the 'living masters' on ARC. And seeing as I don't happen to have a famous critic in my family or as a friend or neighbour, (which make up the bulk of my fan base) fat chance of that happening. ;)

Jen -- Tried to leave a message but don't know how to sign into your blog -- and I've commented on LOTS of blogs that registered on Blogspot and Typepad! Sigh. But it keeps asking me to sign in -- and I don't recognize the options .....

Does anyone have any helpful hints?

Yes -- I AM techie-stupid ..... sigh ......

Jan

Don't know why your computer is freezing, Patricia. I use Firefox and it's fine. Hope you're able to view. I just love her pictures (and writing).

teacats, you can post and don't sign in, just put your name at the end of your post and mark anonymous below the sign in area.

What a great start to your blog, Jen! I love your house, so it's been fun seeing more of your decorating ideas on the blog.
I don't have a blog of my own, though, as I can barely get through reading at the few websites I belong to! I do have a personal (family) website that's private. Not so much for decorating, but to keep out-of-town family and friends updated on what's happening with us, pics of the kids, etc. One section has pics of my latest design and holiday projects, so that my four sisters, my SIL's and girlfriends can see whatever I'm working on at the moment. It's a good way for us to feel more connected to each other, especially since all my family lives out of state.
Keep up the blog; I'll be back to visit it again!
Lynn

I write a design/image/semiotics blog with another person. It's not really about decorating, but sometimes decor is a subject.

Here is a link that might be useful: Deep Glamour

Great job Jen!

I think I posted my blog on here before. I just started it recently. My husband and I bought a fixer-upper (actually, pretty much a gut job) in 2006. I started the blog as a way to show our families what we were up to during the renovation. Its also a nice place for ME to keep track of our before and after pictures, stories, etc. I cannot WAIT to go through this post and check out all of these blogs!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Big Yellow House

Jen, Welcome to Blog world! I have not been bloging that long, but I have enjoyed it so far. Your blog is shaping up quite nicely.

You asked a few questions...I blog when I feel like I have something to contribute, it depends on how I feel and if I have come up with new tablescapes or not. I usually blog in conjunction with holidays and seasonal changes, but sometimes its just on a whim. I have not found any techi sites yet giving directions on "how" to do certain fancy things to a blog like templates and such, even if I found one I would be too afraid I'd mess up what I already have. LOL Sorry, I haven't been much help, but I know the longer you do blogging the better you get :)

Well any way below is a link to my blog...

Here is a link that might be useful: Sweet Designs

auntjen, obviously you have been a great inspiration. Once you brought up the subject of blogging, I figured that I should get off my :):):) and get my own going as well. What better media to show step-by-step how I have done what I have done. And like someone here mentioned, I do not want people to get tired of me linking the same old photos every time specific subject comes up. Much easier just to link the blog I guess :)

Here is a link that might be useful: My design blog

Punamytsike, that's wonderful! I love the layout you've used -- goes so nicely with your photos! Your work is nothing short of gorgeous, and I'm so glad you've put it out there to inspire others! :-)

Hey Jen and everybody,
I'm new to this forum and relatively new to blogging, but I love both. I made my first blog this past September and made 3 more since.
I will be checking all your blogs out in the next little while. I regularly read yours Jen and I love it.

Here is a link that might be useful: here is one of mine

Thanks for sharing your blog, Jen! I've added it to my list of favorites. Just read part of it and saw your post about your cottage. I've always loved pictures of your house and I'd gladly trade my large, no character house for it!

Hi Jen...I will be checking out your blog as soon as I finish writing this. I started a blog about 2 months ago. Please stop by and say "Hi"

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Creative Life

Hey Aunt Jen!!! LOVE that cottage of yours...so cannot wait to delve into your blog! Along with all of the others posted!

I have been doing a blog for the past couple of months. Mostly house and home (and quite a few tropical resorts thrown in for good measure!) It is most certainly a work in progress, but fun!

Here is a link that might be useful: Lime in the Coconut

Here's a link to my blog.

I use blogger. There are plenty of options on page layouts and color choices to select from and you can change your format anytime.

My blog is geared toward the general stuff in life. My kid, my house, general nothing-ness. Mostly for sharing stories and photos for my family & friends since I live 2 and 3 hours away from them and don't get to have weekly visits to grandma & grandpa's house like I did when I grew up.

As for how often do I post & what topics come best? I average about 1-2 posts a week. Sometimes a couple more, sometimes less...just depends on what happens around here.

Just look at my tags on the blog and you can see the things I post about most...my daughter and my house. I just keep things simple and don't over-think any post.

The best part for me is to share the cute things my daughter comes up with.
Gayle

Here is a link that might be useful: Gayle's Ramblings

AuntiJen~

Could you tell me what the exact colors you used for your LR and kitchen? I am looking for a very similar color combo for a playroom, I love your colors they are very comfortable and cheerful. In your Blog you said
Frida Kahlo blue in the kitchen, the hue of an Autumn gourd in the living room.

Thanks,
Sharon

Hi Everyone!
I have a blog "Willow Decor" Its a decorating blog that reviews Traditional, Swedish and Belgian Decor! The Washington Post recently named it a must click blog! I was very surprised and very flattered. I have added the link below if anyone is interested in visiting! Please let me know what you think by leaving comments! Thanks so much to everyone at GW - you have inspired me in so many ways!

Here is a link that might be useful: Willow Decor Blog

Hi everyone,

It's been a long time since I've posted anything on gardenweb because I became obsessed with decorating blogs. I came back tonight to catch up and then did a search on blogs and found this one. I was inspired to start a blog and thought it would be all about decorating but it's mostly not yet. I do have some of my holiday decorating on it and hope to make it mostly about decorating, flea marketing, junk style, etc. Maybe I just don't have the confidence to write about that yet. Baby steps.

www.thekramerangle.blogspot.com

I recently started a blog. It is going to be a mixture of home decorating, crafts, photography, digital graphics, cooking, entertaining and pets. Also, some personal family stuff thrown in for good measure. I just posted instructions on how to make a silhouette.

Here is a link that might be useful: NeeNee's House

Wow - so many great blogs! It's funny you posted this, because I just started mine with the new year. I am really interested in tips anybody can give. I'm a total newbie to it. All I have right now is the template provided by blogger. How do you all get yours looking so cool and unique?

Robin

Here is a link that might be useful: Whistling Swan Chronicles

Hi Jen,

Just read your blog and think you are off to a great start! I do have a blog, hosted by Blogger (Google). I started because I love to write and blog less for "followers" and more for my own enjoyment. Since I started, I've gotten into photography as well and really enjoy that. I blog about decorating, antiques, crafts, DIY, travel, home . . . whatever I'm up to. I've found that using large images seems to appeal to readers as well as sharing not only what you did but HOW you did it. Best of luck with your blog; I'll be checking in!

Here is a link you may find useful: 22 Applegate Lane