Do you love the sound the needle makes as you pull it through your fabric? Do you find the clicking of knitting needles to be soothing? If you do, you’re not alone. In fact, there’s a whole online world dedicated to creating those sounds for the purpose of relaxation. It’s mostly on YouTube and the…
Why a Long-Time Blogger Stops Blogging
Cathy Callahan spent a good portion of her professional career as a window dresser for indie boutiques in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. Often when it was time for her window displays to come down, customers and passersby would want to purchase the things she’s made for display. Those requests sparked an indie…
3 Blogs I Love that I Think You Might Like, Too
My mom was here visiting over the weekend. We were chatting about blogging and she asked me a great question. “How do you find blogs?” She’s an avid reader and knowledge seeker and she’d like to find blogs about the things she’s interested in, but isn’t sure where to begin. Typically I stumble across a…
What Should I Blog About Tomorrow?
We’re sitting around the dinner table on a Tuesday night. The kids talk about their day at school. Charlie tells us what happened at work. And then I ask, “Anyone have an idea for my blog post tomorrow? Because I’ve got nothing.” This is a pretty typical scene at my house. I firmly believe that…
Resources for Bloggers Interested in Becoming Better Writers
No matter how you cut it, blogging involves writing. It doesn’t have to be a writing-intensive exercise (Geninne has a wonderfully successful art blog with very few words), but it’s going to involve putting at least a few sentences together for each post and sometimes much more than that. Writing is a craft just like…
How to Create Evergreen Posts for Your Craft Blog
Is everything you post on the internet just a flash in the pan? It sure feels like that sometimes. The clever tweet you carefully wrote on Tuesday? Buried in the feed. That hilarious Instagram photo of your cat sleeping in a cake pan? Already enjoyed its one minute of fame. Does anything endure? Don’t worry!…
Building a Valuable Blog with Caroline Critchfield of SewCanShe
A few months ago I got an email from Caroline Critchfield, someone I'd never met. Here's what it said: Hi Abby,This is Caroline from SewCanShe. I love your blog and all of the great advice you offer plus the sewing tutorials, of course! I'd like to feature a couple of the tutorials from your blog…
How to Have a Great Blog Even If You’re Not a Writer
“I know I should have a blog for my business, but it feels sort of overwhelming. I mean how much time is this going to take, and what am I going to write about? I’m not really a writer.” If this sentiment sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone. A lot of artists dread the…
How to Start a Great Craft Blog: A Case Study
The other day a new craft blogger said to me, "Only a handful of people read my blog and I don't know who they are. I have only 64 likes on my FB page. How and with whom does one actually begin?" Her question really made me think. How do you break into the crowded…
How to Review a Craft Book: A Blogger’s Guide
When you have a craft blog you should constantly be thinking of ways to create value for your readers. Writing a project tutorial, showing a special technique or tool, or explaining your design process helps readers know that they can turn to you for expertise. A look at your studio space or a show-and-tell of…