Day 15 - Find a blog buddy

Day 15 - Find a blog buddy.  I discovered this tenent early on with my blog.  Actually, I had a starter blog, a very obscure starter blog (in other words, I had no readers).  I knew I had to find at least one thing that appealed to a niche group, thus Thrift Shop Commando was born.  I began by highlighting my thrift shop finds.  As I stumbled onto other blogs, I found a group that shop secondhand and then model their ensembles in fashion posts.  I knew I had found my kindred spirits.  It is so much fun being part of the modeling/blogging/thrifting community.  I routinely link back to that group and am still discovering others that make me smile.

Have you found your blogging buddies yet?

Day 14 - Update a key page on your blog

Day 14 - updating the old blogeroo.  I change my blog background about twice a year.  Recently, I tightened up the blurbs on what my blog is about, or at least attempted to.  I think it is kind of difficult to describe exactly what I do in all of my glory.

I've got my Moi page (aka About Me) down to a T.

Are you all updated and happy with your blog?

Watch The Karate Kid (2010) Movie Online For Free Without Downloading

The Karate Kid a good remake of a classic film. It's an entertaining film for entire family. The good thing about this movie is that it's completely different from the original. Setting this movie in china was a good decision and the fight scenes were good. Overall, it's a funny movie that has an important message about standing up for yourself. Enjoy.

How to watch The Karate Kid For Free - click on the play icon in the middle of the screen and wait for movie to load. Enjoy the movie.

if you want to watch The Karate Kid (2010) movie online on full screen, All you have to do is click on play icon. It's very easy. It's very easy. It's very easy. The Karate Kid 2010 Online Free Here No Downloading Required.

Enjoy watching and Don't forget to leave a comment to let others know that video is working fine.

Mad Tea Party and a Barbie Fashion Show!

Mad Hatter Mike (my brother IRL) welcomes you to this year's Mad Tea Party ~

Peace frog and garden toad are the greeters.

Invitees this year are the Madames:  Madame Alexander Goldfish and Madame Alexander fairy doll.  

And the Muffies:  Fortune Teller Muffy Vanderbear and Mardi Gras Muffy Vanderbear.

The Muffies and Maddies came wandering by, what did they spy?

A Mad Tea Party, of course, hosted by Vanessa of a Fanciful Twist.

There was glam and glitz, joy and spritz (cookies, that is).

It is, you know, the party of the year!  

Granny Madame Alexander was the featured poetry reader.

There were Tyrano rides and carriage rides.

And a Barbie fashion show!  Bikini Barbie led off with the latest in swimwear.

New Barbie styled vintage wear (Barbie clothes made by my mom, circa 1960s). 

 Camo Barbie styled the boot with dress trend.

Scuba diving Barbie showed off her tan and athletic wear.

Fashionista Barbie glammed in evening wear. 

At every tea party there are pastries - this year the guests enjoyed an old-fashioned strawberry-rhubarb crisp, recipe here.

Please leave a comment and "thank you" for stopping by!  Here is the link to the other participants A Fanciful Twist.

Link to my 2012 irreverent post on the Mad-Tea-Party.



Yeah Write's 31dbbb has been pre-empted for this day's post. The challenge instructs the blogger to "Take a trip to the mall," I just took a detour to visit my Mad Tea Party friends!

Day 12 - Develop an editorial calendar for your blog

Day 12 - developing an editorial calendar for my blog just chafes on me.  I prefer to think of my blog as a place to exercise my creativity and free-flowing ideas.  I'm not selling or promoting anything.  I really do not want to commit myself to structure.  I also never apologize for NOT posting.  If I post, I post - if I don't, I don't.  I can bet 9 times out of 10, the bloggers audience has not even noticed if a blogger hasn't been posting.

My readers can pretty much bet I will be posting something every day.  Since I don't write lengthy dissertations, it is pretty easy on the eyes.

Blog buddies - ya gonna post that calendar or not?

Day 11 - Come up with 10 post ideas - I've listed hops and challenges.

Day 11 - Come up with 10 post ideas.  While I have never been at a loss as to what to post, something always comes to mind.  Most hops have a theme.  Only once have I been kicked off of a blog hop for "not following the rules."  I especially like the writing and photography challenges.  I have also found unique link ins such as:

No. 1:  The upcoming Mad Tea Party post with Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist on July 13th.

No. 2:  Le Mysterieux Carnival.  This group is quiescent all year long with the exception of October or All Hallows Eve.

Those two sites require some creative photography and highlight some truly inspired bloggers.

I also keep an eye out for blog hops, in particular hops that I have not participated in before.  If you just hop around with the same group of people, you will never encounter new blogs and potential new readers.

No. 3:  I'll be joining a no-rules blog hop monday-mingle with Tough Cookie Mommy.

No. 4:  I glommed onto sarahsblogoffun.com - this gal has THREE blog hops coming up.  One this month for the new and timid blog hopper.



No. 5:  No-rules blog hops are the best.  There is one every weekend at Sincerely, Paula



No. 6:  Low pressure participation hops such as Unknown Mami

The idea is that you enjoy your city (or suburb or town), take pictures, and then share them with your bloggy friends and family.

If your “Sunday” happens on a Friday, that’s fine, just post the pictures on Sunday. If you live in a suburb instead of a city, I don’t care; I still want to see it. If it’s raining and you’re stuck inside, take a picture of the view outside your home. You can even cheat and take pictures one Sunday and post them the next Sunday.

No. 7:  At the beginning of the year Vicki-2bagsfull will host the Grow Your Blog hop - tons of participants!

No. 8:  How could I forget the annual http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/?  That is the best challenge of all and is scheduled every April.  Those posts practically write themselves *chorkles to self.*

No. 9:  I am thinking Nicky and Mike, the duo behind We Work For Cheese, will be hosting some type of month-long writing or photography challenge (fingers crossed). 

No. 10:  When all else fails, there is Pinterest.  What I mean is that bloggers cross-post on Pinterest any challenges or events.  It never hurts to look there for inspiration.  As long as you don't get sucked into looking at all the pretty pictures (guilty as charged).

Day 9 - Join a Forum and participate!

Day 9's challenge is to Join a forum and start participating.  Well, you don't have to tell me twice.  In fact, I am already a member of two blogging forums, one is the The Sits Girls, a website where "women get social."  They host bloggy boot camps in different cities, the next one is:



The other forum is Blogher, with their tagline being, "Life Well Said."  It is a whole lot of blogging going on.

While I am not extremely active in either forum, I do pop in from time to time or link up onto a forum discussion that piques my interest.

Are you a joiner?

Day 8 - Interlink your old blog posts

Ah, lucky number Day 8, marching along on my 31dbbbs.  I have written a link post before, but haven't done one in quite awhile.  My preferred interlink is to the 50th Anniversary of the Seattle World's Fair in 1962.  My first retrospective post is here and the second is here.  These are images from our family photo archive. 



On a separate topic, I thought I would have to remove "art" from my featuring so much more tagline.  I did manage to pop in to Interfaith's Great Finds in Sutter Creek over the weekend for their 50% everything sale.  This framed fashion image watercolor was well worth the $15 marked-down price.  There was an original price tag on the back of $95 and labeled San Francisco Artwork by Susan Miller. 

Day 7 - Write a Link Post

Day 7 - Write a Link Post.  I tend to link to other blog posts quite often.  I subscribe to the adage, "give credit where credit is due."  When I enjoy a certain post, I'll gladly link back to it.

The SITS Girl site encourages bloggers to form "tribes."  Link to that recent post create-a-successful-blog-by-building-a-tribe.

Join a community. The SITS Girls is a great place to start. Sign up to be a featured blogger. When you sign up for this, you agree to comment on the featured blogger each day. But take it a step further. You’ll notice during “roll call” people send well wishes to the featured blogger of the day. Usually a link to their own latest blog post is attached. Take advantage of this, and check out a few that look interesting to you. Another SITS activity you may want to participate in is their Sharefest on Saturday mornings. You’ll find a lot of great blogs to follow!

Comment. Don’t just sit back and wait for people to come to you. Take the opportunity to start the “connection” process by commenting on those blogs that resonate with you. This is a great opportunity to start online relationships. Comment on someone else’s blog, and they’ll often take the time to come over and visit yours as well. I don’t comment on blogs expecting that to be the case, but this is how I started to get to know many of those who I now consider part of my tribe.

Connect on other social media platforms. Follow those whose blogs you enjoy on other social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc. When someone reaches out to me in this way, I am going to reciprocate. We might not end up being the best of online friends, but it’s a great way to meet new people and learn more about each other.

Be generous and share. Share content that you feel will appeal to your fan base. Chances are if you liked another blogger’s post, your fans will too. And believe me, your fans don’t want to just see post after post of your own content. They like to see variety! And it goes with saying that your online friends will also appreciate your efforts!

Go to a blog conference. If you can swing it, I’d highly recommend attending one of these. One of the things I loved about the Bloggy Boot Camp I just attended is that we switched tables frequently in the morning, allowing us to meet new people each time. If you go to a conference that does not do this, make an effort to strike up a conversation with different people throughout the day. Exchange business cards. When you get home, follow up. You never know, that person might turn out to be your next great online friend!

Be realistic. If you’re a brand new blogger just starting out, don’t expect to create a tribe of blogger friends among those with ten thousand followers. They’re at a different stage than you. Absolutely it’s fine to comment, follow them and share their content, but ultimately you are going to be better off connecting and building online relationships with those who are in the same place as you. I’m not saying that you won’t ever connect with someone who has a much larger following. But don’t expect to build a tribe of bloggers that way.

Be consistent. If you continue with these activities day after day, you will make all sorts of great online friends, and you’ll be well on your way to finding your tribe!

Watch Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) Movie Online For Free Without Downloading

Oz the Great and Powerful overall a good movie. It's for all ages, young children might be scared by a few scenes, old children will love it and adults will enjoy it. The movie has wonderful characters, special effects and thrilling action. It's a must see for everyone, it's an exciting film from start to finish. Enjoy.

How to watch Oz the Great and Powerful For Free - click on the play icon in the middle of the screen and wait for movie to load. Enjoy the movie.

if you want to watch Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) movie online on full screen, All you have to do is click on play icon. It's very easy. It's very easy. It's very easy. Watch Oz the Great and Powerful 2013 Online Free Here No Downloading Required.

Enjoy watching and Don't forget to leave a comment to let others know that video is working fine.

Day 6 - Top Blog Tip

Within this 31 days to build a better blog, there are links to tips and tutorials for bloggers.  I think I have an old version of the workbook, because the links to the articles were some years old.  I would like to learn more about a cloud-based work environment.  I'm not quite sure how that concept works.

Day 5 - Email a blog reader

Day 5 - Email a blog reader.  So the challenge recommends emailing a new blog reader.  Easy peasy.  I respond to every email - guess it is the "corporate" in me.  I manage a company and even when I receive 500 resumes for a receptionist position, I email each and every one.  Even if it is a rejection, it is nice to know there is SOMEONE that responded.

Do you reply to emails or not?

Day 4 - Analyze a top blog in your niche

Day 4 - Analysis.  Oooo, analysis, not my strong forte.  While I can do it, I don't enjoy it.  Another problemo with trying to analyze a blog in my niche, is that there AREN'T any.  Sure, there are thrifting blogs, and fashion blogs, writing blogs, photography blogs, but I combine ALL of those elements.  From time to time, I even attempt humor.

I do admit to visiting numerous blogs to see what style I like and what writing voice is utilized.  I admire the unusual and quirky, the bold and the bright (see my blogrolls).

What is your favorite unusual blog?

Day 3 - Promote a blog post

Day 3 is Promote a Blog Post and do I have experience with that!  When I posted my Traveling-yellow-skirt post, I linked up with every fashion board imaginable.  While that post is not number one on my top five (my Top 10 movie countdown is No. 1), I certainly pushed it, and pushed hard to make it one of my Top 5 posts.

What is your favorite post?  Give a link at the comments so I can pop by!

Day 2 - Write a List Post: 5 fashion must-dos

Day 2 for the challenge is Write A List Post.  Hm, my listyroo will then focus on fashion.  This past year I have so far participated in the Traveling Yellow Skirt Freak Show, modeled in Vogoff Magazine, posted on Visible Monday and other fashion boards.  With six months of the year remaining, here is a LIST of upcoming fashion-related MUST dos!

Number 1 Fashion Must-Do:

Post on Spy Girl's 52 Pick-me-up link in.  She has posted 52 ways to remix your closet with a weekly link in.



Number 2 Fashion Must-Do:

Hop onto a fashion link up of black and white ensembles.  I just missed the linkup hosted by Menopausel Supermodel



Number 3 Fashion Must-Do:

Continue to linkup with Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for her Visible Monday.  She hosts weekly, so I (or anyone else), can join the fun any time.



Number 4 Fashion Must-Do:

PUSH that fashion envelope!  I'm shooting for cover girl of Vogoff Magazine 2014 issue, link to the 2013 issue http://vogoff.homestead.com/

Here were the last 3 cover girls of that irreverent online mag ...

Number 5 Fashion Must-Do:

Musn't be afraid of color.  Last week I picked up these two pieces at my fav thrift spot, Thrift Town.

What is a Fashion Do for you in the next six months?  If nothing, at the VERY least wear an Ugly Christmas Sweater and linkup with me on my Countdown to Kitschmas!

31 days to build a better blog challenge, Day 1 - The Elevator Pitch

Glutton for punishment, you say?  Yep, I admit it.  Day 1 challenge is The Elevator Pitch through Yeah Write's 31 days to Build a Better Blog.

It is suggested that a blog have a tagline.  That, I already have, "swooping into thrift shops searching for quality and collectible items."

I do sum up the gist of my blog in my header, but let's go all out for the elevator pitch:

My blog is about having fun.  I highlight my thrift shop finds but the majority of my posts are geared toward writing and photography challenges.  I'll throw in a fashion post or a random one filled with goofy images.  I wrap up the year with Countdown to Kitschmas.  I highlight things that delight me.  Join me in my journey!



I've hopped onto Kristi's mop-it-up-monday, there are over 400 participants on this linkup!