hey everyone! since i know many of you follow going home to roost via a reader, i wanted to address the changes coming up in google. in case you haven’t heart, google reader will be shutting down on july 1st (you can read about it here). however, i’m happy to say that the alternative of choice is simple:

feedly is beautiful, streamlined, clean and refreshing (thanks for the tip, sfgirlbybay!).

feedly makes it really easy to set up an account and add your favorite blogs. they’re also making the transition from google reader seamless and easy – you can read more on that here.

i actually can’t believe feedly hasn’t been the go-to reader all along- it’s so pretty! don’t you think? so i’m making the switch early and you can too- follow going home to roost on feedly right here!

wrap up: {blog reader} {feed} {feedly} {follow} {google reader} {switch}

anne the adventurer is all about discovering adventure in every day life. full of thoughtful posts, mindfulness and tips on getting back to the basics, you’re sure to leave feeling inspired! anne does a fabulous job at keeping her content fun with things like diy projects and gift guides, but also educational and inspiring with posts on things like blogging and business. you’re sure to fall in love with her love story and go mighty series, too!

visit anne elsewhere: twitter | facebook | pinterest

wrap up: {anne the adventurer} {blog} {holiday showcase}

have you heard of blog brunch? when i discovered it via august empress, i thought, how fun! in a nut shell, blog brunch is a live question and answer chat that takes place on twitter every first saturday of each month. hosted by two lovely bloggers, megan and ms. pink, people from all over the globe meet to discuss our favorite subject – blogging!

each month, they spotlight a different hot topic which allows bloggers of all sorts to network, ask questions, share information and most importantly- build relationships.

if you missed last month’s, you can catch up with this handy recap right here.

the next brunch is this saturday, may 5th at 1pm EST and 10 am PST. mark your calendars and join in- i’ll meet you there! and don’t forget to use the tag #blogbrunch

wrap up: {blog brunch} {blogging} {greet} {meet} {questions} {social} {twitter}

i woke up this morning to a very exciting newsletter in my inbox, announcing august empress’ new shop for seamless repeating patterns, graphics and social buttons! for those of you who don’t know, jo klima is one of the most talented gals i know (though i may be biased, she designed going home to roost!). her patterns and graphics are stunningly beautiful with watercolor textures and soft, geometric details. each with a handcrafted touch combined with feminine colors brings both depth and light to each design- all of which i’ve fallen in love with. visit her shop here!

wrap up: {august empress} {graphics} {jo klima} {new} {patterns} {repeating} {shop} {social buttons} {watercollor}

today i want to share with you a little project that i’ll be participating in, and invite you to join in as well: dearest nature’s spring pickin’s!

dearest nature is a brand new blog from the lovely donaville of discover paper. it debuted on the first day or spring (of course!) and has absolutely blown me away with amazing content over the last few weeks. all of their posts (decor, diy, food and more!) are all inspired by nature- something very near and dear to my heart! it’s not only a stunning blog to view, but also one of the smartest layouts i’ve ever seen (click over to see what i’m talking about). so, it’s quickly becoming a daily obsession of mine, especially since nature is my ultimate inspiration. i know you’ll love it too!

what were we talking about? oh yeah, spring pickin’s! this is a project all about nature, of course! if you join in, the mission will be to capture things that nature has left in our path. it could be from a nature walk or from your own back yard- from your dslr or from your iphone. the point is to capture nature’s gifts and post them on your blog on the 19th of each month (until summer). to join in, visit dearest nature and leave a comment that you’ll be participating (this way, donnaville can include you in her monthly roundups!).

happy spring!

wrap up: {capture} {dearest nature} {nature} {photograph} {project} {spring} {spring pickin's}

hello, lovelies!! although ghtr isn’t set up to view everyone’s gravatars in the comment section, i can still see them on the ‘back-end’ of the blog and i’m always surprised by how few people set up their gravatar. not only is really fun, but super easy, too! here’s how:

but wait! you say. what is a gravatar? gravatar is an abbreviation for globally recognized avatar and once you register yours based on your email address, an avatar will be associated with your account. then, when you post a comment on a blog that requires an e-mail address, the blogging software checks whether that e-mail address has an associated avatar at gravatar. if so, the gravatar is shown along with the comment. cool, right?

1) save a photo to be used as your gravatar on your computer. a gravatar avatar can be up to 512 pixels wide, but is displayed at 80 by 80 pixels by default. your image must be be square- otherwise it will be skewed!

2) visit gravatar and click on ‘get your gravatar today’.

3) enter your e-mail address (be sure to use the one you most commonly use to comment with), then confirm and create your account.

4) upload you image and save. you’re all done!

5) start commenting like a maniac!!

wrap up: {avatar} {comment} {gravatar} {how-to}

happy monday, friends! a big thanks (and a hug!) to all those who submitted favorite items last week, the roundup was so beautiful! you all are such a talented crowd. :)

this week is similar but different. my home is filled with handmade items from friends or favorite shops, and i have so many favorites! after all, nothing is more meaningful than a handmade gift, right? if you have a favorite handmade item in your home, i want to see it! so you must ask yourself:

what is your most beloved handmade item?

 
after reading the submission guidelines below, please send in your entry. i will choose 10 items and post a round up of them on friday in hopes of inspiring everyone’s creative mojo. are you ready? here’s an outline for the month:

WEEK 1
submit a link to your all time favorite DIY project/tutorial.

WEEK 2
submit a photo or a link to a favorite handmade item that you yourself have made.

WEEK 3
submit a photo or a link to a favorite handmade item that you own.

WEEK 4
submit a snippet about your craft and why you love it (details coming in week 4).

WEEK 3 GUIDELINES- please read!

please submit the following by e-mailing me:

- 1 picture of your favorite handmade item you own (not that you’ve made).

- though not necessary, feel free to include any links that coincide (i.e. a shop, blog post or tutorial link).

- in your e-mail, include your name and a link to your shop, blog or website (if you have one).

- title your e-mail ‘national craft month week 3′.

submissions are due each thursday by midnight, pst.

please follow the entry guidelines! happy national craft month! love, bonnie

wrap up: {favorite} {handmade} {march} {national craft month} {submissions}

hello lovelies! i’m sure a few of you have explored the bottom of my blog enough to discover who designed it – the most talented jo klima from the darling tree and august empress. i just can’t say enough wonderful things about her! she’s done several design projects for me and is so sweet and lovely to work with. she’s simply the whole package!

today, i’m excited to share with you a new workshop she’s offering called your darling blog. if you’ve ever wanted a custom-design for your blog then this workshop is for you! your darling blog is for bloggers who want to infuse more of their personality into their online space, and jo takes your step by step how to create a blog design that expresses who you are this 5 week e-course. visit your darling blog to learn more and register, but hurry- registration just opened and the class is  limited to 25 people!

wrap up: {blog} {design} {e-course} {jo klima} {workshop} {your darling blog}