Destination: Cutsey Monday (#33)

Hello again friends!

Can you believe it's almost October?! 

That means the year is wrapping up! That's crazy. 

There were some awesome projects linked up last week! Here are some super cool projects:

1. Autumn Treat Bags by Where Chaos Meets Creativity

2. Framed Last Name Decor by The Happy Scraps

3. Little Jack-O-Lanterns by Kaminski's Creations

4. Coconut Cupcakes by According to L

5. Falling for Fall by This is Happiness

6. Pumpkin Cream Cheese "Mints" by Crafting in the Rain

Keep up the creativity!! I'm loving it!

Travel Idea: A Letter a Day for Your Husband

So, as I mentioned before, my kids and I recently traveled from North Carolina to Washington state. Without my hubby. It took alllll day and by the end of it I was pretty sure I wasn't going to make it home because I never wanted to do that again. 

However, before we made that big trip, I got a couple things ready for my husband for while we were gone. One thing was a bunch of freezer meals, which I'll talk about later. What I wanted to talk about today is the Letter a Day idea I did.

I wrote a letter for him every day, including the day we left and the day we'll be getting home. That means I wrote him 23 letters!! Wowzas. Not only did I write him letters but I also hid them throughout the house. Every day I text him and tell him where that day's letter is. 

Here are some of the things I used for fodder in my letters:

- Passages from old journals (our dating period, our engagement period)

- Small gifts (Legos)

- Pictures drawn by my kids

- Love coupons

- Quotes from inspirational people

- Lyrics to our wedding song

- Reasons I love him

Some of the places I hid the letters:

- Behind pictures on the wall

- My sock drawer

- Under a laundry hamper

- Under a dining room table chair

- Behind some shirts in the closet

- In a bench

- Plus more, but he reads this blog so I don't want him to cheat :)

Hopefully you can use some of these ideas, too! Hy hubs seems to like getting a letter every day. Well, he hasn't complained, so I take that as he likes it.

And here's a shot of what the plane ride looked like for about a second of the trip:

Have an awesome day!!!

Sharing here: Craftomaniac, The Girl Creative, Love & Laundry, See Vanessa Craft,    

How to Grow Your Blog: 52 Mantels

Oh my goodness!! This is THE LAST post of my How to Grow Your Blog series! I'm so sad but I'm so glad I did it and I'm super appreciative of all the bloggers who participated. 

Here's a recap of who we had on the series:

One Artsy Mama

 Rae Gun Ramblings
The Crafty Scientist
Creatively Living
A Pumpkin & A Princess

And today for our last installment, we'll hear from Emily at 52 Mantels!
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So, you've started a blog.

You've baked, crafted, painted or glued yourself a lovely post.

You've spent hours photographing, editing, writing your work.

With great excitement, you hit publish.

...and nothing. 

Sound familiar?? Every blogger has been there. And, every blogger has, at some point, wondered if anyone is even kinda interested in their compelling and brilliant tutorials for (insert your own mega-awesome expertise here). The thing is, people ARE interested. But, in the big ol' world wide web, how will they ever find you?? 

Hello, link parties! If you don't know what a link party is, let me start from the beginning..

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Link parties are set up by a host blogger (or several host bloggers!) in order for people to showcase their projects. Many link parties are for particular topics: recipes, crafts, tips, etc and many are open to any and all posts. Some are weekly, some are monthly and some are seasonally. Typically, the host blogger pays a fee to have the link party on their site.

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Essentially, link parties allow you to place a small ad for your blog on someone else's blog. Free advertisement! And, that small ad puts your work in front of an entirely new readership. Imagine you link up one project to a different link party every single day for a week. That's 7 new audiences that get to see your project. It's simple, it's quick...it's free advertisement! The host blog benefits in giving their readers an enormous amount of inspiration in one, single post. Win-win!

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A few things to keep in mind when linking up:

1) Remember...you are a GUEST. Play by the rules of the host, be polite and make sure to visit other party goers. It's tempting to hop on, link up and hop off...but, by doing that, you aren't respecting your fellow linkers OR your host blog. To be a great guest, link up, leave a thank you for hosting comment and then visit a few other links that catch your eye!

2) Pick an image that is eye catching...and shows off your best work! Instead of choosing a photograph that highlights your before, choose an awesome after picture to draw people in! Remember, you only get one shot to make an impression. Rock it with a great picture. If I have a large room reveal or a post with a lot of detailed pictures, I'll choose one eye-catching shot that leaves the viewer wanting to see more!

3) Give your link a catchy title, using popular key words. DIY, Easy, Quick, Tutorial, Before/After: these are words that catch MY attention! Keywords let the viewer know what to expect. I'm more likely to follow a link if I think I'll get an awesome tutorial from it! What catches your eye at a link party? Think about it, maybe jot down some notes and then start trying things out! It's all about trial and error, after all. Find out what works for YOU!

4) In Link Party land, being fashionably late is NOT your best bet. Seriously. The most viewed links at my weekly link party are almost always in the top fourth of the entries. If you can figure out when a link party opens, make the effort to get there early!

For a list of great link parties, check out the list I've gathered here.

And, of course, I'd love for you to hop over to my weekly link party called Thursdays are YOUR Days (which I tend to open up on Wednesday evening).

Happy linking!

You can find Emily at 52 Mantels a blog about all things home, including weekly mantel makeovers, seasonal crafts, easy recipes and simple DIY projects. Come over for a visit! 

Destination: Cutsey Monday (#32)

Oh my goodness... yesterday I made a flight across country: North Carolina to Washington state. With a 3.5 year old and an 18 month old. It was... well, let's just say I'm glad I'll be here for a while so I don't have to go through that again. 

That's why there was a serious lack of posts last week. I was trying to get ready for this 3-week-long trip. Lots to do for my hubs before I left.

Anyhoooo.... I'm glad you're here to party with me!!

Here are some of my favs from the party last week:

1. Fall Block by Happy Scraps

2. Fabulously Frugal Pumpkins by Posed Perfection

3. DIY Monogrammed Burlap Wreath by The Morris Mojo

4.  Vintage Nautical Birthday by Clever Nest

5. Egg Carton Caterpillar by Hill Yeah

6. Toddler-Sized Chevron Quilt by JAQS Studio

Let's see what you've been up to!!

Please follow Destination: Craft

Please visit other blogs & show some love

How to Grow Your Blog: A Pumpkin & A Princess

  Hi Destination Craft readers, I'm Crystal from A Pumpkin & A Princess. I'm a craft, DIY, and food blogger with a passion for sharing my creativity with others. I'm so excited and honored to be here today!      

When Kathryn asked me to guest post I had no clue what I would write about. I felt like I'm still learning, what could I possibly have to share? But given that I've been blogging for two years I think I've learned enough to share some information with others. I also decided to step out of my comfort zone and write about something I'm working on..my photography. I use a DSLR but you don't necessarily need one to have beautiful pictures. I also haven't jumped into the world of Photoshop so today I'm sharing my top photography tips that don't require a fancy camera or editing software. Pictures really are a key element to being noticed in the blog world. If your post is in a link party with 300 other posts, it will definitely stand out more if the picture is well lit and visually appealing. If you're a blogger than you might know how awesome pinterest is as a traffic source. People like pinning and repinning great pictures. Here are a few tips that helped my blog get noticed. 

Lighting Lighting is perhaps the most important element of a good picture. Please, please, please do not use your flash! A flash is not your friend 99% of the time! Instead try to take pictures during the day and preferably next to a window. Also use indirect sunlight to avoid shadows. To help with this use a white foam board from the Dollar store to bounce light back onto your object. 

Staging Not everyone will agree that pictures need to be staged to be beautiful and it's true in some occasions. Take a look at your pictures, is there clutter in the background? First and foremost try to take your pictures with a simple background that isn't distracting away from the object. If it's too simple add a few things and see if it works. However sometimes less is more in photography.

This mason jar with paper flowers was sitting next to various other items on a console table. All together it worked well as my Spring decor but for blogging purposes I moved the items aside and photographed the flowers alone. This made the flowers stand out without the distraction of other items. 

Give your pictures life Take action shots, add something to make them even more interesting. In my Snickers Cheesecakes I cut one of them in half and took pictures just as the caramel started drizzling down. I really think it's what makes the picture. 



Try different angles, it adds interest and a different perspective. Also add layers: use napkins, bowls, etc. as props when necessary. I know this contradicts what I said earlier but this is an example when adding props actually helps.



Here's one of my "secrets" that's not so secret anymore..use scrapbook paper for your background. The picture above looks like my Vanilla Bean Doughnuts are sitting on pieces of wood doesn't it? It's actually scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby. I've been asked numerous times about this and for about 50 cents a sheet it's my favorite tip to give. 

Thanks for having me I hope you enjoyed these photography tips. I would love to connect on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Also, thank you Kathryn for inviting me over! :)   Sharing here: See Vanessa Craft, One Artsy Mama, 30 Handmade Days, Love & Laundry,     

Destination: Cutesy Monday (#32)

Welll...hello again friends!!

Welcome to ANOTHER link party! I can't believe there's so many people out there making amazing things week after week. It's awesome.

Here are some amazing crafts from last week:

1. Free Purse Sewing Pattern by Crystelle Boutique

2. Sugar Free Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies by Babblings and More

3. Handmade Felt Finger Puppets by Small Things with Love

4. Thrifting Online by The Daily Me

5. Hour Glass Quilt by JAQS Studio

6. Girls Boot Socks by Being Mom(me)

7. DIY Hot Air Ballon Mobile by The Consigner Designer

8. Homemade Cranberry Almond Granola by This Gal Cooks

Let's see what you've been up to!

- Please become a follower of Destination: Craft!

- Show some love to other blogs

- Link up new projects

- Have fun!

Chevron Letter

When I was in Texas my friend and I wanted to do a craft night but since we both have 2 kids we had to change our plans a little and it ended up being a craft day. We wanted to make letters to put up in our houses. You know, to represent our names & to spruce up the place. 

I wanted to show you what we came up with. We both got our letters from Hobby Lobby.

My friend printed off a chevron print that I used and she did stripes.

I love how they turned out! And I love having company when I craft...especially with a great friend.

My sweet friend Emily! I loved seeing and crafting with her!

Sharing here: Tatertots & Jello, One Artsy Mama, I Heart Nap Time, Love and Laundry, Craft-O-Maniac, Too Much Time on My Hands, Cherished Bliss,