Friday, June 20, 2014

25 Extra! Extra! Organizing Reads!

One of my favorite things about what I do, is the variety!  I am the kind of person who likes a lot of variety in my job as I find it keeps me excited and motivated and intrigued.  Writing posts is only a small part of what I do.  I also run an Etsy shop in which I design organizing printables, I contribute to the Better Homes & Garden's Style Spotter's Blog, I collaborate behind the scenes with other bloggers and businesses to build relationships and grow my knowledge, I attempt to troubleshoot site maintenance issues and am working to build a new and improved blog, I communicate with you fabulous friends each day through social media, comments and emails and I smile while I type.  True story, my husband laughs at me for that last one all of the time.

Sometimes, I find that it is so easy to get sucked into the house project side of what I do, that really awesome things come and go and I forget to document those as well.  Some of my favorite posts are looking back and celebrating the milestones along the way, so I try to stop in with those types of updates on occasion.

So first, let's get the not as fun stuff of site troubleshooting out of the way.  For some reason my previous email subscription host, decided to stop working.  I began getting email after email from super sweet readers who mentioned they were missing out on my posts.  After looking into the problem, there was little resolution other than to completely switch feed services.  So I did that and things seemed to be working smoothly until one day they weren't.  This stuff makes my brain mushy so I apologize if there are days you receive double emails or no emails at all, or if my feed is incredibly delayed.  Or if it doesn't feed to Bloglovin' at all {which is currently the case}.  I promise I am looking into getting every last wrinkle smoothed out and hopefully it will begin working like a well oiled machine in no time.

As far as the rest of the site, I partnered with the beautiful and talented Angela of Saffron Avenue to do an official "branding" of iHeart Organizing!  After over four years of blogging with my generic homemade logo, I decided it was time to really make it official.  She was wonderful to work with and really took my thoughts and vision and ran with it.

#sneakpeek

Knowing that I have grand schemes to offer a site with an updated home tour, project gallery and easier navigation, I am in the early stages of working on that and incorporating the new branding.  Completely overwhelming from a learning curve perspective, but something I am really having fun with.  Hopefully it won't be 2018 before I can get things finished up and rolled out.

Speaking of rolling out something new!  Many of you have been inquiring about the 2015 daily planner printables.  I am working on designing them as we speak, and will be sure to announce when those are ready as well.  I am pretty gosh darn excited about those myself, planning makes me pretty happy.  Oh geeze, there I go smiling while I type again....


Earlier this week I was featured in an online edition of CupcakeMag's Summer Issue!


I shared my top ten organized spaces around our home, and really had a blast writing this particular article.  You can find the entire beautiful feature online here starting on page 88, but I really recommend checking out every last page of the magazine full of inspiration and fresh ideas.


You remember those butterflies you would get in your stomach when you first start dating that special someone.  The sweaty palms and flutters and that rush of excitement with every call or text.... that is how I feel whenever I see we have been featured or published.  What I really love is how excited my little guys get when they see their mommy or our home or even their sweet little faces in a magazine.  I still question daily if all of this is just a crazy dream....


Better Homes & Gardens Storage magazine is running a second printing of our feature and it is on newstands now!  I may have squealed in the middle of the Walgreen's magazine aisle and caused a few people to look at me with concerned eyes.  I also spotted our playroom in the new 100 Ideas Quick & Easy Decorating issue.  Happy surprises are the best.

Something else that was pretty sweet is that I was interviewed for an article about Cheering Up Your Bathroom for Redbook magazine.  When I saw Drew Barrymore on the cover, my day was made.  She was my favorite actress growing up, so, I took that as a sign.  Of what, I don't know, but it was pretty cool.



And because I am all about being random today, this year I will hit 5 full years of blogging at this little place I call home.  OK, I didn't say that with enough gumption.  5 YEARS PEOPLE! 


I get asked a lot of questions about blogging in general, everything from photography questions to posting schedules to staying on Blogger or migrating to Wordpress.  I thought it would be fun to do a small series over the next few months, about what I have learned during my five years of blogging and share some of the tips and answers to your frequently asked questions.  A few topics I thought I would cover are:  A day in the life, photography {and maybe instagram photos as well}, social media, pros and cons and thoughts on monetizing.  If you have any other questions or topics you would like to see addressed, feel free to pop them in the comments below.  I also think it would be fun to get a few extra opinions from other seasoned bloggers as well, so stay tuned for that series coming soon.

For those looking for some additional organizing tips from yours truly, you can find me contributing over on Better Homes & Garden's Style Spotter's Blog.


With many people as excited as I am about spring cleaning and freshing things up with the new season, I shared my favorite cleaning supply organizational tips.

Organize This: Spring Cleaning Supplies

Starting the day off on the wrong foot is never a good idea.  A good closet system can really make or break your morning.

Organize This: Clothing Closet

And if you are limited to a wardrobe to store your clothing {like I am}, I am sharing my top tips for making the most of that space as well.

Organize This: A Wonderful Wardrobe

No one needs outdoor storage inspiration more than I do, so I decided to write about it!

Organize This: Outdoor Gear

Having a dedicated drop zone can be life changing, especially for busy families.  Find my drop zone "must haves" here.

Organize This: Drop Zone

And sometimes it is fun to integrate a trend or a favorite color or pattern into your organizing projects.  So I shared a variety of ways to bring in bold florals to your everyday storage solutions.

Organize With This: Bold Floral Patterns

A huge thank you to everyone who supports me and iHeart Organizing each day.  Always know that I never take a moment of what I do for granted, and that I couldn't love it more.  Cheers to five more years of organizing fun!

And a special thank you to my sponsors for making all of these dreams come true as well:


Have a happy weekend and...


25 comments:

  1. I love your homemade header! The new design looks really cool too. I come to your site so much for ideas and inspiration, so a new navigation setup will be nice. Looking forward to your series on blogging! Happy 5-year blogging anniversary!

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  2. I get laughed at too by my hubs when I start laughing while typing. I CANNOT wait for your blogging series! Go ahead and post it now I'd stay up all night reading it. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for opening up your home and sharing!

    Erin
    upsideofchaos.com

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    1. Thank you for stopping by with your sweetness Erin! :)

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  3. Hi
    I love reading your blog. On a different post you wrote about menu planning once a week. I would love to see a few weeks of what types of food you have for meals. Do you do a lot of running with sports even in the summer. Do you still have a daily schedule in the summer. Would love to see one now that the kids are older

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    1. That is a great idea! We have been going to ball almost 7 nights per week and have to really plan accordingly. We definitely are planning on doing a similar summer schedule again this year as well, just works so nicely! :)

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  4. Cheers Jen!! Congrats on the 5 years and congrats on all of the new ideas that you are working on and rolling out!! You go girl! I am a big fan and can't wait to see what comes next!!

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  5. Hi Jen! So excited to see your "official" branding. I've always thought your site looked great but I'm sure this will takes things up a notch! And "o my word!" love that bathroom with the floral wallpaper!

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    1. Thank you Becky!! And I agree that the floral wallpaper is amazing!

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  6. I just LOVE your blog! Congrats on celebrating 5 years!!!!!!!!!!

    ((HUGS))
    Tiffany

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    1. Thank you! It is so surreal, I had to check three times to be sure it has been that long. Time flies when you are having fun!

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  7. Congratulations Jen! 5 years is awesome! I am over the top excited about your blogging series! Yep, every sentence in this comment truly deserved an exclamation point!!

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  8. Hi Jen! I don't know I stumbled upon your blog but this is the most awesome blogs I have ever read! I love it to bits! And I am really inspired by this organizing stuff that's why I started a project -- to clear all my clutter! Here's the link,www.projectclearclutter.blogspot.com :)

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  9. Congratulations from germany :) i love your blog. So many great ideas for my family and my sweet home. Thank you so much :)

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  10. Congratulations on the amazing magazine features! I love your blog and look forward to the new series!

    Lauren | http://www.livelovelauren.com

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  11. Congrats for the first 5 years and I wish you many years to come!!! I love your blog!!!
    Thank you for opening and sharing your home with us!
    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
    Afrodite from Athens, Hellas

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  12. I don't know where to begin. I am just so crazy proud of you. I am grinning ear to ear to see all of these publications sharing your talent with the world. LOVE the photo of you on the bed. Congrats, my friend. You are such an inspiration and I love you dearly.

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  13. Congratulations. I absolutely love your blog. It has inspired me to get my home organized and given me some great inspiration.

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  14. Jen, I am so excited for you celebrating 5 years of blogging! You are such an inspiration and I love that you are not only creative and informative, but are so real! Thank you!

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  15. A super BIG CONGRATS on your 5th anniversary. I have been reading for about 4 years, I think, and I get inspiration all the time. In the past month, I have completed a reorg of our recycling station and our pantry. I was so excited when the nanny said that the pantry looked so good and organized! I pass that compliment on to you, since your tips made it happen. :)

    Thank you for sharing all that you do (your family, home, and all the rest)!

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  16. So excited to read your tips and tricks series!

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  17. I've been reading your blog for a little over 18 months now. It is still one of my favourites. More than your content, I love you! I can tell that you smile whilst you type, I can feel your bubbly happiness. It is what brings me back always. Congrats on 5 Years!!! You are my blogger idol. Can't wait to read what you have learnt over this time. I'd love to know more about your photography skills, cause they are awesome. And how you got the 'traditional' publishers to notice you. xS

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    1. Thank you so much Sarah! I smile while I work not only because I love what I do, but also because I love my readers! :D

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  18. Congrats on your 5 years of blogging! I totally agree with Sarah above, you're happiness really flows into your writing.
    I'm looking forward to the new series on blogging advise already!

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