Showing posts with label tutorials. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tutorials. Show all posts

Saturday, October 20, 2018

DIY INSTAGRAM-VIRAL ROSE BOX DECOR


Boxes and boxes of wonderfully arranged roses on Instagram! Have you seen these? Please tell me you have because they seem absolutely viral to me, well viral as far as those super expensive yet dreamy lifestyle accounts on Instagram go. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out these beautiful rose decor pieces here, here, here and here. They look so classy, chic and expensive and  guess what- they actually are! In the UAE, a tiny box of 16 roses of these from Maison de Fleurs sets you back 385 dirhams and I made it for: 10 dirhams! Granted, mine aren't fresh roses but they look just as good and pretty. The #rosebox tag on instagram itself yeilds over 97,000 results guys, that is insane- but nowwwwwyou can DIY your own!

Pin this post! (Save for later or share with a friend)
    
DIY Viral Instragram Rose flower Box #diy #rose #box #viral #home #decor #gifts Rose decor box to make your space and style look expensive!

Saturday, February 14, 2015

INSPIRATION NATION // DIY STYLED PHOTOS!

Styles photos are all the rage these days on blogs and websites which want to be seen as more chic and professional and certain people have jumped on the bandwagon to make big sales out of creating stock photography that's truly eye0candy! Not to bash those amazing brands doing all the people who're short of time or maybe not so experienced with the camera a stunning benefit  but...wouldn't it be so much better if you could make your own styled photography? If you're an owner of lots of pretty baubles, have a good eye for photography and this manual at hand, it's no biggie! I'll give you a plentiful list of tricks to do those gorgeous styled photographs and be a master at it!
Create your own Styled Photos! Styled photos are all the rage now, learn how to snap these beauties on your own @ Craft A Doodle Doo onceuponherdream.blogspot.com


This article features 10 fool-proof tips to get those styled pictures everyone craves! Don't forget to share and... to thank YOU. for going through my tidbits of wisdom, I've even got a free surprise at the end of the post!


1.Choose a theme.


You can't get the best out of styled photography without choosing a theme.I don't mean any rigid constraints with the word "theme". It could be a color theme. Or a seasonal theme. (If you're choosing spring, you could go with a selection of lots of pastels. If it's summer you could choose something bright and fruity. If it's a winter theme you'd like to go for, you may wanna shift to more cooler tones like blues and purples in your photographs). In addition you could also choose a topic based theme: I've compiled a collage of some popular ongoing themes for styled images: take a look at this ridiculously beautiful styled pictures!

1) Beauty/Outfit/Accessories potpourri


Styled photos are all the rage now, learn how to snap these beauties on your own @ Craft A Doodle Doo onceuponherdream.blogspot.com

1.Connie Cao @kisforkanithelabel 2.blushshop @blushshop  3.Nat @n4tic  4.Raffaella @raffaellferrigno 5,Jenny Jovanovic @crazystylelove 6.lenie @lenieloves

2) Breakfast and food, tantalizing food!

Styled photos are all the rage now, learn how to snap these beauties on your own @ Craft A Doodle Doo onceuponherdream.blogspot.com

2 & 3. Maimona Jamal Badi @dreamy_touch 7.Utosh @ utosh  5.Princess inspiration @ princessaddictions 9.@cathycouture

3)That dre-a-a-a-my workspace.

Styled photos are all the rage now, learn how to snap these beauties on your own @ Craft A Doodle Doo onceuponherdream.blogspot.com
4,5,6 & 7 Jessica Clinch @simplyjessicamarie 9.blushshop @blushshop

2.Choose a carefully thought out background in relation to your foreground objects and props


If you have a careful look at the pictures above you'll see there's a variety of backgrounds, from plain to textured with wood, marble or even glass (in the workspace collage). Neutrals backgrounds like these are always the best bet to add that little something that's so important because it holds the entire picture together. You'll wanna make sure your background is not overpowering but if you'd like to choose a bright, fun background, go to the next point..which is...

3.Contrast, contrast, contrast!

It doesn't just have to be between colors, it can be between materials too: pair hard rough wood with soft, flowy textiles. Monotoned marble with bright colors and on and on.
This account on Instagram (@zynp) is what made me believe that while it's tricky to have a bright background against bright colorful objects, if done right, the results can be stunning. You'll need a bit of practise for this but here's one tip: Look for the opposite colors on the color wheel to pair or colors within/around the same color family. Think berries with blush pinks or colors normally found together in nature: woody browns and deep greens; and keep the contrast in couples: stark blue background against juicy orange foreground objects or the the likes. (so that's just two colors: blue and orange but so much to swoon over!)

    (Zeynep Albayrak) @zynp on Instagram, she knows what she's doin'! Go ahead & follow her!
Styled photos are all the rage now, learn how to snap these beauties on your own @ Craft A Doodle Doo onceuponherdream.blogspot.com


4.Layering


Layering gives so much more dimension and depth to what could otherwise be flat photography and that which lacks in character. Try layering with different napkins that fit in your theme, maybe cutting boards, textiles (the more frayed, the better), scrapbook paper, giftwrap, pretty books,place-mats or even shimmery bling!

Styled photos are all the rage now, learn how to snap these beauties on your own @ Craft A Doodle Doo onceuponherdream.blogspot.com
1.  Jenny Jovanovic @crazystylelove  2.Nash (@candygloss006)  3.Nash (candygloss006)


5.Fluidity


Sometimes if your object looks too static, you could use a bit of dynamism in the picture. The best way to add this may be a crumpled sheet in the background (maybe a picture of breeakfast or five-star dessert in bed?) that signifies movement had taken place or even a scarf in a vibrant color sprawled across the picture's width or height. You choose. This isn't always necessary but see if it works for you. When it works, you'd immediately know because the picture suddenly gets a whole lot of oomph.

Styled photos are all the rage now, learn how to snap these beauties on your own @ Craft A Doodle Doo onceuponherdream.blogspot.com
1 Zeynep Albayrak @zynp 2. Nash @candygloss006 3.Melissa @milkthistles   4. Zeynep Albayrak @zynp


6.The human touch  


This is another optional. You might want to add a slight part of your hand going over the keys of your laptop. Or maybe fingers curled around that beautiful coffee mug. This adds so much more dynamism and relatability!

7.The little details


There's the big focus of your picture, and then..there's the little details and the props that just kick it up that extra notch. This could be anything from sprinkles thrown in around your cake (yes, around!) or confetti sprinked in around your stationery. Or maybe some delectable macarons placed by your current favorite novel. They don't have to get the spotlight, but they sure do make a difference.


8.Doodles and lettering


Adding doodles and lettering is completely in vogue right now. So if there's a little too much of empty space that shows up in your photo, try adding a bit of doodling or lettering overlays. There are so many apps for this.Apps I use for Android include Doodlesnap, Photofy and Shii Overlays.


9.Never stop looking


Don't ever make the mistake of thinking you have enough inspiration. Get started, yes, and do what you need to do but always keep looking for more. Coffee shops and bakery shops do such beautiful styling; it's hard not to get inspired. And so do glam decor editorials. I usually pick up inspiration from Pinterest and Instagram. (To see which boards I usually follow on Pinterest and Instagram, follow me from the sidebar!)

         You can like a picture on Instagram and it will instantly get saved by default in your profile (you can access all the pictures you keep liking through the settings menu on the app.) The problem here is: if all the pictures you keep hitting like for pile up in your account, it does away with some of your earlier liked ones to accommodate space for the newly liked pictures. To bypass that nuisance, download an app that saves pictures/vids from Instagram and use to to constantly save those pictures on your gadget. I use Instasave for Android if you were wondering. :D

9.Try not to be a perfectionist


Sometimes Instagrammers put all those beautiful pictures out there, it's easy to be caught in that culture where everything needs to be poetically set up. I need to tell you that even if those tricks above are for significantly improving your styled photography, sometimes it's good to leave things messy, untended to or to show flaws. After all, a little embarrassment brings in more friends than appearing impeccable!

And here's your surprise: Three high-resolution styled photos you can include in your website/blog promotions or themes! If you do happen to use any of these, don't forget to drop by and let me know so that I can have a look as well! :D

                                         
PS:I've tried to link back as many Instagram photos to their accounts as possible which was a tough job. If you find one of your photos here and I haven't listed you please let me know so that I can title the photo to the correct owner. If anyone of you would like me to take their pictures down, please contact me via email. Thank You. :)


And now folks, a few examples of using styled photography for beautiful branding, magazine layouts and even opt-in boxes!

Styled photos are all the rage now, learn how to snap these beauties on your own @ Craft A Doodle Doo onceuponherdream.blogspot.com

1 deluxemoderndesign.com    2.assets.lookbookpro.com   3.rosemarywatsonproductions.com 4.shaycochrane.com 5.lauradrayton.com


Need another article to pump up your lifestyle blog? Have a skim through my "Secrets to writing killer DIY blog posts" article here!

You can also download and print many freebies in my freebie gallery (in the nav bar) to primp up your photos! Orrr....check out my shop if you'd like to print papers for uploading images on commercial sites.

AND LASTLY, PIN AND SHARE THE FUN :)
Follow me xx,


Nash

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Saturday, October 18, 2014

INSPIRATION NATION || CREATING YOUR OWN PRINTS! (YEP,PHOTOSHOP FOR BEGINNERS)

Ladies and Gentlemen (if any),I've been asked around a lot in real life and on the cyberspace how I create my prints in photoshop. A lot of my prints are mixed media, 1)something I've painted or 2)maybe something I've photographed orrr 3)Done straight in Photoshop drawing with the basic round brush and then manipulated in PS to create a pretty, pretty print that I occasionally give ya guys to download.

So here's the behind-the-scenes of how I made one the prints from my last free prints collection. ;)

How to make Beautiful Prints for Photoshop Beginners! You don't wanna miss this one! #easy #Photoshop #beginners #tutorial

Here's what you'll need:

1.Your PC
2.Adobe Photoshop (I recommend CS3 and above. I use CS6)
3.Your favorite pictures that we will be morphing into prints

Note: I'm showing how to do this by the route of absolute newbies, so if you know more or less of PS already, you'll find me a little slow. ;)

Let's start!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

INSPIRATION NATION// HOW I STAY CREATIVE (AND YOU CAN TOO)

Ever wondered how you could bring creativity back to the plate after a burnout? I know for sure that fishing out one fabulous idea after another may be a treat to readers but behind-the-scenes? It's no joke. You can practically feel your brain getting drained.
So how do you get back on track after what seems like you've just exhausted all your creative resources?
Let me help!
PS: This is a slightly long article than my regular write-ups but I really wanted you all to connect with what I'm saying. :*
5 Amazing Secret Tips To Stay Creative #blog #tips #tricks

Friday, March 21, 2014

INSPIRATION NATION//DESIGN YOUR OWN BLOG! (And a FAB one at that!)

I must confess, I've become disillusioned with my newest obsession, blog designing! Now I've never really designed anyone's blog per se (just a few tips and tweaks for other friends), but I think I'm kind of fancying the blog design bandwagon! So today, I'll let you download a super-easy tutorial on how you can design your own blog (on Blogger, works for Wordpress too) and I'll give you all the blog design elements I designed in this tutorial for free!
     Seatbelt on girls!
I'm honestly head over heels for this one, so much that I feel like switching like my own blog design to the one in this tut, but I'm still in the process of primping up my own. ;)

I used Photoshop CS6 for this tutorial (the version doesn't really matter though) but if you're good at other online editing apps like picmonkey and pixlr then you can probably use those too. Isn't is nice when everything is so versatile?

The blog elements include the header, the fonts, social media icons and the navigation tabs. The above is a screenshot for you to see how they all look like after put together. Such a happy family!
The zip file I put for download include the pdf file which lists the detailed tutorial as well as the individual design elements to upload onto a basic blog template.

Header:
Every blog needs a whopper of a header. It's the first thing that makes those eyeballs stay put on your blog or else close the window pronto! Here's how I made mine and you can make yours too. Begin by thinking of a theme. I love fresh. pretty colors and it's Spring too, so I grabbed this image from Pinterest for reference and began painting away.

Hand-drawn doodles or painted designs are so much the chic trend now and they really give that casual+professional feel to a blog. Here are the steps:

We now import the image in photoshop (it can be a scanned file from your printer or a photograph you took, I used the photograph) and continue with the editing to create our pretty blog banner.

You can see the rest of the steps in the pdf file because the post will run incredibly large if I do post everything over here. (Yes, Nash you say, please don't force us to read your long drawl-y posts!)

A nice way to give your blog a super-polished look is to choose colors with a contrast. Use a few colors from one part of the spectrum and then choose a few colors from a contrasting range of the spectrum. Like, me being me, used a rage of hot pink to pale pink petals to add a feminine pop of color in the header, and a lot of gender neutral blues and greens to give a beautiful contrast. Of course, if you like, you can still make it all your favorite color, but I just think having a palette adds so much more visual interest!

The best part? You don't even need to be a good painter. Posing as one will do (I do the same!)

Fonts:

Fonts make up so much of the blog's readability. Fonts look great paired with contrasts too (Sans serif with serif. Plain fonts with calligraphic. Serious fonts with playful, handwritten ones). Whenever you'd like to use a fancy font, make sure you use it where you need a large font size. Generally, fancy fonts are difficult to read when they are small-sized. Stick to the very basic of fonts for large chunks of writing, because they are more readable and pleasant.

See all the font-mantra I just mentioned down below. The blog title has been written in a calligraphic font (I list the fonts names in the downloadable tutorial file). The tagline for the blog is written in a simplistic font. It helps the fancy calligraphic font pop even more!

Textures and Patterns:

While you can use a multiple of patterns and textures, make sure that you either
1) Use a focal design on one area of the blog and keep the rest minimal or
2) Use a variation of textures on different areas while making sure they all tie up perfectly well together (Usually making everything look unified goes back to the colors you used.)

Obviously the second choice is more difficult to follow through. For this blog design I kept the background completely plain but you can use a very minimal background too and it would still look great.

My rule of the thumb for the perfect laid back+professional design is this, pair opposites but not to the extremes. For ex, I paired delicate flowers with some geometry(circles)! They are not really opposites but circles usually don't come anywhere near flowers, do they? :)

Social Media Icons and Navigation Tabs:
Since I used the same colors and geometry for the navigation tabs as the header (again to tie everything together), I used an ombre pink for the social media icons.


You can check out how to:

1. Upload a header images to blogger
2.Upload social media icons for blogger
3.Upload navigation tabs in blogger:
To upload navigation tabs, use the same technique as the social media icons but don't upload all the images into one widget but individual widgets and link each to it's url.

Everything includes psd files so they're editable or you can add extras by modifying the existing elements. :)
You can download the whole step-by-step tutorial here.
You can download the whole zip file for the design elements here.

Have any questions? Drop a comment! Or leave a comment on my Pinterest/Instagram/Facebook!
................................

Meanwhile, pin this and share it if you found this useful. *smile*

Check other design resources here

Lots and lots and lots and lots of hugs,
Nash, xoxo

(And oh yes, check how how the blog design looks over here!)


Friday, October 25, 2013

Inspiration Nation// Secrets to writing Killer DIY posts!

Ahoy there all ye blogging mates! I'll be downright honest with you folks here. I wasn't exactly sure about what should I do for a DIY post today since I am a university teenager and out of the two weekend days, one goes for the study jazz, so I have one day to wrap a whole DIY post including the text, the photo-styling and actually uploading it. You get the gist right?
So for those of you newbies out there or even those of us who periodically get stuck in a blogging rut, here's a breath of fresh air!

What is... the anatomy of a stunner DIY post?
( DISCLAIMER: This is a long post full of valuable information, so you may want to settle down with a giant chocolate chip cookie to munch on)

You know how you get a colossal volcano of ideas pouring out of your head just before you try to get some shuteye? This happened to me last night. Today morning, I whipped out my notebook and started scribbling these bucket-load of ideas and here they are, actually legible (because my handwriting looks like a infant's scribble when I'm writing on the flow)

1. Cook up headlines you know you can't resist reading...but..

I mean how many times do you get sucked into a post after you read the post title? Maybe posts like "How to have instantly glowy skin with this 3$ trick" or even titles which seem contrary, almost impossible which offer readers solutions like "Stay at home and get paid more than your current job! Here's how!"
        Now here's the catch, these titles kind of stand like the hook of first-time-impressioners. Readers get hypnotized by your title and click through, great, then what? If the content doesn't deliver, then your audience are going to feel deceived. So this advice stands sound when you know you have a gorgeous post planned out, make sure you give it a headline that screams "Click Me! Click, Click, Click!" You don't wanna ruin you real estate space by writing some dull headline and nobody clicks to ever get to know a charming post was hiding underneath. That's just...painful.

2.Think outside the box? (NOT!)

This might be like a slap in the face because you've been told otherwise but you don't have to be a 100% original. Read that again. Yep. That's because there is word in the dictionary called inspiration. Everything is inspired by everything else around the world. Don't drive yourself nuts thinking of something wildly original. My policy? I take an idea, which forms my basic point of pick-up to my own creation. A good example is my DIY Faux Vintage China Jewelry Display. 

 My base was Keren's DIY Vintage plate idea. It was an all-round fabulous DIY of course where she prints out her roses on a tissue paper and adheres them on plates. At that time I was doing a Wardrobe Stylist series (on my blog) where I had to whip up some affordable closet organizing solutions. So I combined the idea of displaying jewelry onto the plates (including teacups and embroidery hoops to the equation) Plus, I took my own swing on Keren's cute idea and instead of using tissue paper, used temporary vintage-style tattoos to make my faux vintage plates.
So ease out your head a bit! Don't think outside the box, shun out the box in the first place!

3.Writing Your Content is like playing a game!

Apart from sharing your super-cool idea with your readers, what else do you write a particular post for? As a lead to other posts of course! So make sure you use a lot of links within your posts to your other posts. I'm not talking about baseless linking like writing a post about burritos and linking about a furniture makeover post inside. That's plain awkward and way too random. The best tip for in-text linking is when your current post completely relates deeply to another post. For example, my DIY washi tape post links to my free printable Giftwrap post  because I used the leftover giftwrap to make some snazzy home-made washi tape. This indirectly gives the readers the better hint that the author is actually utilizing all the things he/she makes! 
Another great tip is to get behind the scenes. Make sure your pictures are decent tho'. Some of us bloggers (read : ME!) go all messy when we wear our crafty pants and all that's there in the background photos is some crap. When readers see the behind the scenes photos, it backs up all your arguments about the craft you're talking about and you gain your audience's trust. Plus, it's so much fun!

Tip number three is: Don't forget to get embarrassed! Share your craft fails and how you corrected them. It gives the readers insight into any modifications they would like to put in your craft when re-creating it themselves. Plus, it makes you sound more relatable, cuz, c'mon, who doesn't mess things up once in a while? I did this in my DIY cross-stitch wallart post. It was a learning curve in the post for me where I tell my story of how hopelessly the idea began but turned out great in the end! (I later came across a forum where two lovely women were discussing how they liked reading my humorous craft fail story, lol)
The basic essence of a Bomber or a Blah DIY post is this: a blah one is your regular DIY post, it blends in with 1000s others out there. ( I won't disregard these types though because we still have something to learn from them). A bomber one meanwhile is a regular DIY post too, but with a plot twist.
Yep, a plot twist. Like this one, DIY ribbon-tie-vanity basket. It hooks the readers. This basket is your regular basket except that the idea is to make it by recycling cereal boxes. It was favorited a lot at Craftgawker. I've noticed that everytime I do posts like these (and you as self-respecting DIY-er should too), the like rate is beautiful. ^_^. Every. Darn. Time.

4. Be yourself? Here's why this seen-everywhere advice is confusing!

So I've seen this in countless other blogging advice posts"Be yourself while you're writing. Be authentic", yaada yaada yaada. I do agree, BUT here's something for the newbies or for those who aren't getting much meaningful compliments on their posts- they don't know what being themselves means. 
Let me explain. I'm sure this happens to you guys too but sometimes in conversations when you need to explain to people why you're interesting or what is the IT thing about you, you're blank. When they ask you about your life, for a sec there you think, it's my life so why isn't my tongue running loose? It's because you can't actually point a finger. So how exactly do you know what makes you unique?
There are two ways I found out, one would be asking people with honest opinions (stick to family members only if they are giving you the stark truth). Do a lot of people say you make them giggle.?Then you do great humor! Do they say that you can shake up a few heartstrings? You're great at moving people's hearts or even convincing them!
Another way is to find out what kind/style of writing you're most drawn to. You're probably best at writing that style too. Because the kind of books that you read a lot are probably the kind you'll be best writing at!

5. Ruthlessly perfect photography?

So you're crushing on a LOT of blogs which have that perfect photography that makes your eyes go starry? A lot of people think I've taken photography courses but that's miles from the truth. I haven't and mostly it was trial and error. I didn't read any of those 100000000 photography tips on so many blogs either. Sure, I pin them and they are useful for fabulous snaps, but with the hectic schedule I don't get around to reading them and a lot of it is probably overlapping when I sometimes skim through them.
Here's the deal for the beginners. No DSLR required. Might sound so dumb since I have one myself but that was gifted to me when I never had a blog (not to make you jealous!). There are a few techniques which make your pictures instantly better without you having to worry about a 1000 things.
Here's a few:
1. For beginners, white backgrounds are THE thing. You don't have to perfect the photo backdrop this way. They look professional, give focus on your craft and are easy to edit in editing programs.
The DIY Floral Belt made from Sharpies is from of my earliest posts. :)

2. Keep a mood/ theme in mind. By theme I mean, think of a color palette for your craft's composition. If your craft is say, a pink and blue bracelet, a good prop for it would be it coming out of a similar blue pouch or gold (for contrast) blurred up in the background.
Mood is like the same thing. When you have a mood in mind, it's zero trouble to take a beautiful snap. For eg, the mood I wanted to create here for my brownies was a tea-party. All the trays, flowers and teacups had to remind the viewer of a beautiful tea-party so I had that particular vintage-reminiscent arrangement.

3.When you're a pro, sure, go ahead, experiment. When you're a starter, don't. When it comes to lighting, please stick to daylight. It will bring out your pictures gorgeously. And use very, very soft sunlight. The worst of cameras take crisp pictures in daylight and the colors look amazing.

4.Embrace technology. After following the above tips, just use any photo editor (if not on your PC, there are so many apps out there now), edit your clicks for minor modifications and upload!
I'll be doing a detailed photography post soon where hopefully, the tips won't overlap with those on other blogs! Watch out for that!
Also consider mixing up different sizes of pictures in your blog post. I'd recommend those that fit your blogroll's width perfectly, square ones (for sites such as craftgawker and google+) and those whose length is larger than the width (which fare best on pinterest)

6.Pretend you're a pro at typography

Because let's be serious. we as bloggers are very important people. To give people the idea that you're not a 4th grader who clashes colors with colors, whips out fonts of every shape and size on one piece of paper, here's a formula for you guys:
Use fancy fonts-plain fonts combination ONLY on Head titles or pictures. For the rest please, please use the plainest font out there (by plain I mean, it's easy on the eyes).
Call-to-actions deserve special attention though. To emphasize them take the same font of your paragraphs and go italic instead. Or go bold but use a one shade lighter (grey instead of black) so it's still easy on the eyes.
I go a step ahead and use dotted lines before and after my call-to-actions to make them stand out!

7.Spacing!

This is more of a personal choice but I've figured that this is what works for me. I normally take LOTS of pictures of the final product of my DIY, so what I do is spread them out a bit and show some of the final result pictures just after the intro (so people have an idea of what this process is gonna end up like) and most at the end of the post so everyone can take in lots of eye candy!
I also do more spacing between different "segments" of the DIY. For example : introduction before the main picture, materials as another segment, the actual process as the next segment and the final call-to-action as an ending segment.

8 What if I don't know what to DIY?

Constrain Yourself!
  Here's where we all go bonkers right? One essential thing I learnt all this time is that you have to constrain yourself like crazy. That means the materials/methods you need to make a certain craft should be narrowed down as much as possible. This pushes you to think of new ways to make something and also inspires many genius contraptions! Here's one I did, I have no idea why it became so popular. It just came to me out of no-where, you may want to check how I made it: DIY Bracelet Tower!
Or my vanity tray made from something as basic as a shoebox lid!


Keep no limits!
  This would be the exact opposite of constraining yourself. What you need to keep in mind is do either of the do but never, ever be mediocre and go mainstream (exceptions coming in the next main point.) People made chandeliers out of bottle caps. How did they do that? They kept no limit to the materials they needed for the craft! (Heart :Hmm, can I use bottle caps instead of pretty ornaments? Head :Sure!) Here's one example of my DIY in-door style closet organizer, too, incidentally made from bottle caps. Another blogger rejected it for a guest post saying the idea wasn't good enough, but it is the most popular pin on my blog's board at Pinterest right now!
Shop inspiration from online stores!
  Great for fashion bloggers! Online retail stores don't just sell jaw-dropping pieces. There's loads of inspiration to knock-off too, so bookmark those little guys!

9. Striking a balance!

A lot of bloggers out there say that you should stick to what you love. And then there's the other bloggy side which says you should stick to posts which you think people would prefer. What do you do? One way I sorted out this problem is by being interested in a bit of everything. I do mainly craft DIYs, style and recipes here but not much makeup. However, I'm still interested in it which is why I ended up doing a post on this DIY concealer and it's the most popular search keyword people come to my blog through! I suppose a lot of chics digged that! So that was an example of people loving my post in a category I'm not a fan of as big as other things!
However. this is something I love obsessively. Vintage florals! So I did a collection on this and it was a hit too! So the point is, juggle between both kinds!
Another great tip is that if you are doing an in-between post, give out something free to download at the end. This also makes people stick around your blog more!
I do this in my making Floral Prints post, where I taught how you can use something as basic as Paint software to make custom giftwrap, fabric or wallpaper and then I give out a freebie at the end!
Secondly, remember when I said never-ever go mainstream? (it leads to tons of traffic too!) Sometimes, when something is a rage and on-trend, do your version of it BUT make sure it has something that sets it apart. When the envelope clutch was taking the universe was by storm, I did my own version of this DIY envelope clutch but I whipped it out of a cushion cover unlike other blogs. Some blogs did it out of a placemat or a fancy rug and I loved their ideas too!

10. Are they gonna remember you?

One of the things I see an explosion of these days is white background at the back of blogs. While I love this and the professional feel it gives (couples with amazing photographs which white backgrounds make pop!), there's so many similar ones now that I forget the face behind each blog! So make sure that you have something "significantly" different on your blog. My initiative for this was to start using picture collages for my main picture (like the first picture in this post.)

Extras:

-If you still run out of DIY ideas, go into the past! Ask your granny or other experienced people how they used to do stuff "back then". You'll never know what tricks they had up their sleeves which have been forgotten down the line!

-Do from-scratch posts and never-been-there posts! When Cath Kidston's pretty fabric was too expensive for me, I got inspired and did a version myself. 
When I couldn't find vintage floral freebies that I loved anywhere on the internet, I learnt photoshop and created some for myself initially then thought of giving them out to you guys too! Link for them here! (I apologize for the tons of "I"s in this post, I'm not sure if it's looking rude :) )
-Don't just link to your posts; link to other bloggers' posts as well. If there is a technique you did to make a DIY which was borrowed from another blogger, let people know!

-Readers LOVE it when you give them alternatives; cuz' sometimes they don't have/can't find the materials you use for your crafts...so if you write a bunch of substitutes in the end, you'll win them all the more! For my post on DIY storage solutions, I'd painted one box with vintage flowers and wrapped a decorative sheet on another one but I also include other things people can do to spice up their storage :)
-Take cue from people. Ask on your fb page or post a picture of your idea on instagram and ask people if they'd like a DIY on that. If the reactions is positive, go ahead!
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I hope this post helped you guys lots and was helpful to you! Do pin this piece of advice and pass it on to other blogger pals you know to help them through!
           
           Subscribe to Craft A Doodle Doo or join in the fun on my Pinterest & Facebook page to get free upadates! You can now fill in some tingly fresh lemonade and enjoy the rest of my DIYs here!
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Much love and all the best,
Nash











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