Garden Fever Prt. 3: Building Raised Sub-Irrigation Beds

Why Raised? Why Sub-Irrigated?
Do you really have to ask? My raised beds sit on my deck and are as work-free as a garden can get! They are self watering, requiring a refill once every two months, and they help extend my summer planting season. Oh, and as for weeding, well...what weeding? *swoon* I love my little deck garden! I promise to give you another peak later in the summer when all my little seedlings are fully grown.

Soooo, have you created your self-watering container garden yet? Wait what? You didn't see that post? Well ok, then you must start with Part 1: Starting Seedlings of my Garden Fever series, then go to Part 2: Container Gardening, and this is the last post in this 3 part series. If you have, then please, by all means...onward!

Necessary Materials
Bed Building Materials
These are the materials I used to build one raised bed, however you can simply adjust the dimensions to suit materials on sale or your desired height, length, and width. There is one reason alone why I chose the type of wood I did...it was cheap. It was $1.89 per 8 ft. board cheap!!! So believe me, if I could have found taller cedar boards at that smashtastic price, I would have used them. *wink* Basically I spent $12 to build two raised beds after purchasing 4 - 8 ft. boards, one piece of framing wood, and some soil . I used leftover deck stain & seal left in my garage by the previous owners, and  I salvaged castors from a piece of roadside furniture. 

To Build One Raised Bed

• 2 - 1 in. x 7.25 in. x 8 ft. Cedar Board
• 1 - 1 in. x 1.5 in. x 8 ft. Framing Lumber
• One Salvaged Pallet 
• 1 1/2 in. Deck Screws
• Deck Stain & Seal
• Castors (optional)

Sub-Irrigation System Materials

• 3/4" PVC Pipe & Cap
• 4" Drain Pipe
• Thick Plastic Sheeting (vapor barrier)
• 1/2" Vinyl Tubing
• Top Soil
• Garden Soil

How-To Build Your Own Raised Sub-Irrigation Bed
Again, some things are just better shown in action...so I will show you via video how to build your bed, and install the sub-irrigation system. If you watched the video I did on how to create self-watering planters here then you should know the idea is the same, however the materials are a little different. 

Drainage Tip
If your garden is on a second story deck, or you just don't want it draining all over your deck floor, be sure to place a plastic drip pan under your vinyl drain tube. Or you can just do what I do, allow it to overflow into one of my planters. 

Create a Shade/Greenhouse Covering
I saw this idea on Pinterest and it really appealed to me.
Use the leftover PVC pipe to create holders for a "shade" useful for those especially hot days. 
This will be very helpful for your transplanted seedlings as they acclimate. They usually can't withstand an entire day of sun, but now that they are being kept moist from the roots up, and have a shade until they are ready, nothing can get them down! 

•  Use Two Hole Straps to attach the PVC to your beds. You can attach them to the outside of your bed. Or attach them hidden on the inside of your bed before filling with garden soil. 
• Purchase a thinner bendable PVC that can loop over top of your raised bed. 
• Create a shade by cutting garden cloth to size over the loops.
• **TIP: if you created long narrow beds like I did, push them side by side and loop your shade over both as in the picture below. 

Even better, late fall replace the garden cloth with the leftover plastic sheeting to transform your bed into a greenhouse and extend your growing season. Use your plastic sheeting in the early spring and even into the summer for heat-loving plants... it also can help to warm the soil up in spring before seeding into it. 

Enjoy your raised beds! I know I will...

Garden Fever Prt.2: Container Gardening

True to Ursula fashion, each year I am all-over-the-place excited to start my garden in spring, then comes vacation time... inevitably, my overly large garden takes a hit that it never fully recovers from. Some plants struggle to stay alive while I am out of town, or those insidious weeds make a power play for my poor little garden (and usually win), or worst Jack Frost comes to town early in the fall to rob me of part of my harvest! *sigh* However it happens, my garden has never quite  made it to my dreamy ideal... This year I'm preparing to go to battle. My garden will be ready to pack a punch to whatever decides to attack this year! I'm going for work-free, self-watering, organic & natural, bug-repelling techniques, and I'm sharing all the how-to's!
Last week I shared how I started my seedlings here, this week, I'm focusing on the container part of my garden, then  join me as I show you how to build raised beds here!

Container Gardens For Less

A container garden is easy to prepare and care for, but can cost a lot of money when you need to spring for lots of large pots. Save some money by opting for plastic planters and painting it to suit your design. And of course, search thrift and hardware resale stores for pots first! 
I found a ton of small plastic pots at a Habitat for Humanity Restore for pennies! Cha-ching! I also managed to find medium and large plastic pots at Walmart last year for $3 a piece as the  planting season ended, you can usually find their large plastic pots for $5 - $7, so it is still a cheap find compared to ceramic pots. 
Another fantastic idea is to use large buckets (like the ones you purchase in the paint section of the hardware store), or outdoor rubber storage bins. 

Painting Plastic Pots
The terra cotta paint color on these thrifty plastic pots wasn't doing anything for me. Well I say, when design fails...spray paint! 

IMPORTANT: When you spray paint your pots, please ensure your pots are empty, and please please do not spray paint the inside where your soil will  go. ONLY paint the outside and the inner lip to where the soil will start. It is better to ensure you are not contaminating your soil. A layer of clear protective spray paint will help ensure the paint doesn't scratch off over time. 

Before

After

Turning Your Pots Into Sub-Irrigation Planters (SIP's)
The challenge with container gardening is ensuring your plants stay watered...or maybe that's just me! Either way, there are many benefits to creating sub-irrigation planters... 
1. Eliminates the need for frequent watering
2. Aerates the soil
3. Waters plants from below, which helps most plants thrive and is especially good for plants such as tomato plants.

How SIP's Works
1. All SIP's require a space or container to store water under the soil in the base of your planter. Recycled milk or juice containers are often used, I use soup and butter containers...be sure to only use plastics rated at the safest EPA ratings of #2, #4, & #5.
2. Next it requires a pipe that goes from the surface to the underground container for you to fill your water storage container. 
3. It requires a medium that will wick the water up through the soil to your plant. Although many people use cotton, the soil itself can be that agent and works best!
4. Last it requires a method of drainage to prevent over watering and let you know when your water storage container is full. This can be a drilled hole at a specific height, but for planters (where the holes are at the base), a container or plastic tarp barrier to hold the water until it can reach a certain height before draining is needed. 

How-to Video
Here I will demonstrate how to turn your existing pots into sub-irrigation planters. It is a very easy process, and you can turn several pots into SIP's in an afternoon!

Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Drainage Important?
Different plants have different needs, but continuously over saturated soil can cause disease in even some of the most thirsty plants. So good drainage is key!  

Alternative Drainage Materials: Using a plastic bucket just smaller than your planter is the easiest method, however thick vapor barrier plastic used for painters tarp will work as well. An alternative to purchasing plastic is using grocery bags. It has the same EPA rating as the tarp plastic, and best of all, it's free! Just check for holes, and layer several bags.

How Does the Water Flow from One Storage Container To The Next?
Are you scratching your head wondering why the fill container and the reserve container aren't connected? The strips you cut in the bottom of those containers is all it needs...the water flows out of the fill container across the floor of the plastic tarp or container into the reserve container, and the rest is leeched through the tightly packed top soil all around it. Don't worry, trust the science of it...it works. *wink* With a little time, both containers will fill with water, and as the soil above loses moisture the water will continue to be drawn up as needed. 

Where Did you Get Your Water Storage Containers & Drainage Container?
The containers I'm using for water storage are recycled butter containers, sour cream containers, and soup containers you get from ordering take out! Look for safer plastics encircled by a #2, #4, and #5, which your thicker butter containers usually are.
The drainage container (also a safer plastic choice) was an old paint mixing bucket that had never been used...you can find buy them new in the paint section for about $2. 

How Do I know When My SIP is Full or Requires Refill?
The water will begin to drain out of the base of your planter. Then you will know that the fill container, the reserve container, and the drainage container is full. For the first few weeks check deep in the soil for moisture so you will know when your SIP's are empty in need of a refill. In the future you will begin to get a feel for how much water it can take, and how much time passes before needing to refill. 

Cap Your PVC Fill Tube:
Purchase caps to fit your PVC pipe. It will ensure that bugs and dirt can't get into your fill container. It will also prevent evaporation.


Container Gardening Details
Success in container gardening is in the littlest details... so here are a few things I recommend you do:

Choose The Best Soil
The benefit of container gardening is getting the soil right at the outset. Take that extra time to choose the best! In my family buying organic isn't usually a great financial option, so this is my chance to have organic fruits and vegetables!

Prevent Weeds
A couple minutes to add a bit of weed barrier will make life so much easier in the long-run, in addition it will help prevent moisture in the soil from evaporating as quickly increasing the effectiveness of your SIP's. 
You can use weed barrier/garden cloth, some leftover plastic from your SIP project, or even a black garbage bag. 
Place over top of your soil and your fill pipe, cut a hole to accommodate the fill pipe, then tuck the edges into the soil. Cut an X where you will plant. 

For plants that require less moisture to maintain health, try different types of "weed barriers". Mulch, *gravel, or even *river rocks make a pretty barrier. These do require some maintenance, as weeds can still sprout, but it makes a difference as opposed to not using any barrier at all. 
*Gravel or rocks can be used for plants that love heat only...the rocks will reflect sunlight onto your plants and absorb heat into your soil. Be careful to keep vegetables that "hang" off the rocks or they will burn. 

Make Plants Movable
There are benefits of being able to move your plants as needed, and once you add water to your SIP it will be quite heavy, so adding a castors is beneficial! 

• In the case of an unexpected frost, I like to move my plants into the garage. 
• Newly planted seedlings can't take direct sunlight, so I may keep them in the shaded part of my deck until they are ready for full sun. 
• To extend my gardening season I can start them early indoors (garage or sun porch), move them outdoors during the summer, then back indoors again during the winter months. 

I love the idea of placing all your small potted plants together in a garden wagon. Since I have a variety of pots too small to turn into SIP's, it is beneficial to have them all grouped together so they can be spray watered all at once. A wagon would make it easy to contain them, and to pull in and out of a garage or sun porch if needed! I'm keeping my eye open for wagon sales. 

What great tips do you have for creating the ultimate container garden? I'd love to know! Next week, I'm adding raised beds to expand my container garden into my dream deck garden!

Garden Fever Prt.1: Starting Seedlings

It is definitely spring, and I've got garden fever! Yep, it is that time of year when I have gardening dreams of grandeur. And every year my plans fail miserably as I struggle to keep my unruly garden plot. Well this year I've decided to try something a little different... a minimal work deck garden! That means building raised beds that can sit on the deck, buying and prepping pots, and starting my seedlings!
Hmm, I'm thinking it's time for another little series...how about a garden prep series! I'd love to share the process as I dream big but go practical this year. 

So it's time to get to it! How about you? Have you started your indoor seedlings yet? If not, c'mon, it's time to get a jump on it...hmm, by now you might be better served to wait a few weeks and direct sow depending on the vegetable type and your zone. 

Seedling Starters
I started the cucumbers, tomatoes, and peas two weeks ago and they are sprouting up fast! I have not yet finished building my raised beds that I'd like to their final home, so my choice for a quick seeding is to use my recycled plastics. These are old berry containers, and since they come with a cover, and a base with holes for drainage, they make for the perfect little "green house" to get my seeds started! 

Of course, there are many different seed starters I use. I tend to use whatever I have lying around, or purchasing whatever I find for a few cents at thrift stores. 
A few of my other seeding containers of choice are peat pots for seedlings that will grow larger faster, gallon orange juice or milk containers also work well for large growing plants. Cut off the top, and poke holes in the bottom. 

I also like using the Greenhouse Seed starter pellets. You hydrate the pellets, it is quick and easy, and they grow very well! Each year replace the pellets rather than buying the entire kit. 
Consider creating your own greenhouse seed starter kit for a fraction of the cost using aluminum tins with corresponding cover. 

Caring For Your Seedlings
I'm a busy mom, so I'm taking my time and staggering my seeding, and allowing the kids to have care of these fragile little plants. Of course, kids manage to make messes, even when it seems there is no possible mess to make all they need is thin air. *wry laugh*. So, I keep it simple, clean, and easy to keep my seedlings alive if possible... I allow the kids to water the newly sprouted seedlings with a small squirt bottle so as not to break the plants.

Another thing I love about using disposable aluminum tins, (besides creating a greenhouse effect for the seeds), is how simple and tidy it makes seed starting. The trays catch any water run off, makes it easy to move when it is time, and plants are clustered together to make watering as mess free as possible! I started my seeds in a sunny place in my laundry room, but will eventually moved them to a garage window where they can get the sunlight they need and begin to acclimate to the weather and more direct sun.

A little trick to aid with drainage is to place river rocks under your seedlings containers. It lifts them up a little so the water run-off doesn't pool around the base of your plants. I learned the hard way that I needed to do this for certain types of plants after my kids "drowned" a couple seedlings last year. If they were a little older and more careful with the manner they watered older seedlings, it wouldn't have been a problem. But once we graduate from the squirt bottle to a mini watering can, all bets were off so this made for a great solution!

Direct Potting
I love direct potting, there are no second or third potting necessary. Just be sure to choose the appropriate size pot for the plant. My potted plants are hanging out in my garage until the weather decides to cooperate. Keep your potted plants in a wagon and roll them out during good weather, and on days the temperature drops too low, roll them back in! This is a great minimal effort way to get an early start on your garden! 
I even gave my pots a little facelift with spray paint, but I'll tell you more about that in the next blog post. If you are planning to create a potted garden, wait to seed your larger pots until my next post. I'm giving sub-irrigated planters (SIP's) a try! I need my garden to be as self sufficient as possible, because as the years have taught me, I am just not a reliable gardener come late summer. Yes, every year I have abandoned my garden for summer vacations away... this year, I have a plan! *hopeful grin*

Happy seeding!
Read Part 2 here.

DIY Spray Paint Art

I have been enamored with the gorgeous hits of gold all over Pinterest. Soooo I've decided to add my own little hit of gold and sparkle via some art. 

There are so many ways to obtain this, through gold leaf, or gold flecked paint, but I'm in the mood for a 15 minute project, and the gold tinted spray paint seemed like the way to go! 

How to Make Your Own Art In 4 Easy Steps
Did you know you can spray paint on paper? You'll need cardstock with a slight gloss on one side, and tape or a large shipping label. 
These steps aren't just easy, they are quick and it doesn't really require any thought. Some days you just need a project you can enjoy the results of without too much effort. 
The spray paint I am using for all of these art pieces is the Krylon Brushed Metallic line, this one is the Satin "Sparkling Canyon" hue. I love their entire metallic line, but oooooh there is just something about this particular hue that keeps drawing me back! I always have one or more of their metallic paints on my shelf, so anytime I have an inkling to tackle a quick project like this one, I grab and go!

Arrowhead Art

1. Design arrowheads, or shape of choice on Microsoft word. Or use my chevron template here, and cut one piece into an arrowhead.
2. Print onto an 8.5 x 11 shipping label, and cut out your designs. 
3. Lightly spray paint and let dry. Don't try to make your painting even, it adds more texture and unique design to allow the paint to pool lightly in some areas and heavier in others. Allow to dry thoroughly.
4. Peel the backing off your label, and adhere to card stock. Cut to size and frame it!  

Painters Tape Art
Even easier than printing designs onto labels is using painters tape to create a design on your card stock, spray paint and peel before it is totally dry. 

The nice thing about painters tape, before painting you can play with different designs until you have come up with something you like, and it doesn't really cost you anything to do! Just peel up the tape and place until it's just right. Just remember to use the glossy side of your card stock or some of the paper will tear when you pull it off.

Chevron Art
Create Chevron Art much in the same way you create art using painters tape. The difference? You print and cut out the chevron design onto an 8.5 x 11 shipping label and adhere it to your cardstock with a little space between each chevron. Spray paint as before, and peel before completely dry. This method is much easier than trying to create a chevron design using painters tape...it will be more consistent and a fraction of the time. Click here for my chevron template. (Ssshhhhh, it is actually a printout I created for a plastic drawer cover project, but we use our leftovers in this house! ) 

A few other design ideas...
Be creative and have fun with it! Don't just use printouts or tape to create your one-of-a-kind art. There is a myriad of items around your house and yard just waiting to become a template. I tried out a few other designs...after all, it didn't take any extra time or effort, but stuck with the three I liked best. Here are a sneak peak at a few other design ideas I tried out. 

Use Sticky Dots>>

Cut Your Own Template>>

Use Mailbox Letters, or Scrapbook Popouts>>

Happy creating!

Show & Tell

I don't know about you, but for me nothing is more inspiring than seeing people's creatively organized spaces. First I "ooooo" a bit, then I "aaaahhh", then I start itching to see what fantastical spaces I can create. I get tired of just seeing and thinking "I can do that!", and soon I'm scampering off humming "anything you can do I can do better...". Yep, that's me.

Alejandra has been inspiring me with simple organizing solutions via her OUT OF THIS WORLD video series, and now I'm ready for a little show and tell of my own! Did you miss Monday's interview with Alejandra? If so, you need to go get wow'd here. One day, I'll be ready for my "close up" and give you guys an entire house tour...one day, when I grow up to be just like Alejandra! *giggle* (Let's just ignore the fact that we're nearly the same age...I'm just a little behind in my growth). 

3 Fantastic Tips I Took From Alejandra

1. How to Fold And Store My Jeans: 
I learned how to store folded clothes from a friend, who ironically learned it from Alejandra's video series...which I introduced her to! Good things do go around and come back to you! You can read my entire post here about drawer organization, and I'm proud to say I have finally tackled those jeans...

Because it's just too awesome, I have to share Alejandra's video that started the awesome folded jeans revolution! *grin* Go, be taught my pretties...

2. How to Store My Batteries:
My kids were always on the hunt for the batteries... first the batteries were in the cleaning cabinet, then they were in my all purpose pantry, then they were with the hardware in the garage, next they were being kept in the refrigerator (no I didn't lose my memory, my husband told me they keep longer...don't ask me if it's true or not *giggle*). Worst we were never sure where each pack of batteries might be, the D's might be in the garage, while the AAA's were in the pantry, and the C's were just MIA. 
After watching Alejandra's house tour video where she shows how she organized her batteries and nails I ran out and decided plano boxes were a gift from heaven! *grin*


I took this a step further and also decided to store my picture frame hangers, and various hardware knick knacks! Details coming soon to a blog near you... *wink*

3. How to Label The Circuit Breaker 
When I saw Alejandra's video on how to label circuit breakers I literally yelled at the screen "Oh my goodness, THANK YOU!! That is just genius". There is absolutely nothing I hate more than doing projects that entail electric wiring... why? Because I'm always terrified that when I hit that circuit breaker for that room I will get it wrong. Alejandra color coded her circuit breaker using stickers to make it clear which breakers linked to which rooms! You can watch her how-to video here. And because I have a little more to do on it before I'm ready to blog about it, here is just a tiny sneak peak of how mine is coming along...  *wink*

Well, what about you? How has Alejandra and the other Incredibles inspired you? We have had 7 wonderful weeks of inspiration after inspiration with 7 top notch delightfully Incredible bloggers. Don't tell me you haven't gotten a little something-something done yourself. Well this is the opportunity to show it! Link-up via blog post or video post to give us a show and tell of your organized spaces and beautiful house tours! And just in case you need a little extra inspiration, I have rounded up all 7 of the Incredibles house tours for one last little peek of happiness. 

<a href="http://homemadebycarmona.blogspot.com/2013/04/show-tell.html" target="_blank"> <img alt="Home Made by Carmona button" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-du7q0vNu2nw/UW384F84p1I/AAAAAAAAB-Q/PSl5Dn9mEYI/s288/Show%2520%2526%2520Tell%2520Link%2520Challenge.jpg" /> </a> <br/>

The Incredibles: Alejandra TV

You haven't seen organized until you've seen Alejandra's videos! Professional organizer with a stellar eye for creative repurposing, and she offers a productivity program? Why yes please! I promise you'll be ask hooked as I am.

I had just started a You Tube account for my (then) soon-to-be blog when I thought "hmmm, does anyone else add videos to their blogs?", well lo and behold my idea wasn't an original one... *giggle*

I pretty much marathoned her series on You Tube, then promptly told all my friends via Facebook (in no uncertain terms) that they MUST go watch right now. *hee hee* You could say I'm a fan.  

Alejandra has been featured on HGTV, CBS, and Good Housekeeping just to name a few. Enjoy the interview!

Interviewing the Incredibles Part 7:

Show & Tell

Ursula:  I love that you teach organizing via video! There is nothing quite like seeing something in action to know it works. How did you come up with the idea, and what was your very first video about?

Alejandra: Thank you!! There are several different things that led me to video. One of them was showing others that it is possible to live an organized life. The best way to do this is through video. With video you can capture things most photos can't. Plus, it's an opportunity to explain things in detail. I'm not a big fan of writing. In fact, I really dread writing. So the fact that I could explain everything verbally instead of typing at the computer was a huge plus in my head!!

My first video was my home tour which I filmed in 2011. At the time, I had no idea how to use a camera so I hired a videographer to shoot the video. The video changed my life. Not only did I learn that I LOVED to film videos, but the video got positive feedback that inspired me to continue filming more and more and more!

On top of that, the night before my first video shoot, HGTV put out a casting call looking for the most organized home in America. When I saw the casting call the night before the shoot, I literally got goose bumps. What are the chances that I'm filming an organized home tour tomorrow and HGTV is looking for organized homes?!?! When I received the final video, I immediately sent it to HGTV and they came to my house a few months later to film Clean Freaks! It was a cool experience!

Ursula: Not everyone is crafty enough to create or build organizers, and not everyone has the budget to purchase expensive organizing systems either. Is there hope for those with little time, and small budgets to get organized?

Alejandra: Absolutely! I do a lot of videos on small budget organization where I show cheap finds from the dollar store, TJMaxx, HomeGoods, Marshalls, IKEA, etc. There are cheap organizing products everywhere you look, you just have to look!

I'm also a big fan of repurposing things. For example, I have a new video coming out soon on how to repurpose prescription bottles for traveling. Most of the jars or cans in the pantry can be repurposed as organizing products. It's all about getting creative and thinking outside the box. Of course it's easiest to go out and buy all of your products, but you get more satisfaction when you're creative and find good deals or repurpose things from around the house!

Ursula: I am SO happy you shared that, I adore how creative you are in your solutions! What tips can you give someone who is overwhelmed and has no idea where to begin, how to stay on track, and isn’t even sure if there are real perks to organizing?

Alejandra: I could talk about this forever and I do inside my Power Productivity Program! lol. To sum it up, it's all about prioritizing. Your house didn't become a mess overnight and so it's not going to become organized by tomorrow. It's going to take time… a long time. And the bad news is that you’re never done! You'll be organizing your entire life. I always tell people that so in case they hate organizing, it's to their advantage to learn since it's a never-ending process. You just can't escape this stuff.

Going back to prioritizing, I always tell people to start in the space that is causing them the most pain as in frustration, stress, and anxiety. Since that's the most painful space, they'll see the most relief the fastest. And you don't have to start in the entire space. Instead, start in one corner or a small drawer and work your way around the room.

I also offer a Free Video Series for anyone that’s ready to start getting organized that gives you something to work on each day. Afterward you’re well on your way to getting organized.

Ursula: Oh I love that video series! I ran around my house trying to employ everything you taught like a crazy lady! *giggle*

As a professional organizer, you’ve taught the happy organizer, and the chronically disorganized. What kind of resources does your online course provide for both of these personality types?

Alejandra: The Power Productivity Program is for all types of personalities from beginners to advanced. The program walks you through the organizing process step-by-step all of the way from getting started to maintaining your organization down the road. In the new program update (due out this month) I hold your hand in the videos throughout the process and tell you what you need to do. I break everything down into "really easy to understand" concepts.

The program includes roughly 4 hours of video footage where I demonstrate everything each step of the way from the organizing process to how to effectively use your daily to-do list and calendar.

We cover soooooo much stuff. To sum it up, it's pretty much my organized life explained in lots of detail on video.

The program also includes two months of free access to my Members Forum which is like a private online support group where I answer questions each week, we post before/after photos, and we have member giveaways. It's the perfect place to be if you need motivation or inspiration. The forum also includes my categorized Knowledge Base of past Q&A. Every single question I've answered can be found there.

Ursula: Thanks so much for sharing Alejandra! I enjoy all your videos, and your new videos are even more organizational eye candy! *blissful sigh* Keep on inspiring and organizing us! Check out Alejandra's website here.

What about you? Are you a happy organizer? We’re all learning and creatively growing together, so nothing is more helpful than knowing you’re not alone! Come back on Thursday with tours of your organized spaces… link via blog post or video blog! I’ll be sharing the spaces Alejandra has inspired me to organize. I can’t wait!! 

The Orderly Blogger

Jen, from IHeart Organizing has given bloggers some fantastic tips and important information to keep in mind when blogging. If you haven't checked out the interview, well it is a must! Click here to get all caught up.

This post is definitely for all the bloggers out there... but I would love it if all the readers who don't blog would contribute their tips in the comments below. We want to know what you look for and love in a blog!

In the time I have been blogging, I have learned that good consistent blogging is no small task! It requires dedicated time, effort, and a substantial amount of organization to produce creative and interesting material! Then on top of that, if you are a diy blogger sharing the how-to’s behind organization, diy, and decor as I do, then you have to stay on top of creative projects in your own home...enough to post quality pieces on a regular basis which is no small task!

One of the first things I did once I began blogging is create a method to keep my ideas organized. My blog organizer uses post-its I have jotted ideas on and I move through 3 categories to completion. I shared the printables for my blog post organizer here, and today I have released a new page to add to it... a "Year-at-a-Glance" page! After all, it is equally important to plan methods of increasing your readership as writing posts. Whether you plan link parties, themed topics, advertising methods, design improvements, etc. it takes organized planning.  

Today I'm rounding up valuable tips to help make your blog its best!  I'm  listing my favorite submission sites such as the fantastic Looksi, as well as blogger tips, blog printables, and more... And I need your help! Submit your own blogger tips, or a favorite blogger resource site to help those less experienced bloggers. Plus you might learn a thing or two yourself! *wink* Grab a feature button, and get linking!

Blog Organization

Blog Design & Tools

For Your Photography Best

Blog Conferences

Blog Submission Sites & Advertising