Haven mentor blog hop 2017 and big dreams

Welcome if you care coming over from Finding Silver Pennies! I am very honored this year to be a Haven Mentor and the Haven conference this year. As mentors, we were all a asked to answer some questions about blogging and our experiences with conferences., so here it goes! This will be my 4th time going! I’ve spoken twice and made many wonderful friendships!! It’s pretty amazing to meet people who think like you from all over!!

1. How many years have you been blogging?

It will be 10 shiny years this August!  This really started as a hobby for me,  as a way to connect with the outisde world. Blogging was just a few years old, and I was a stay at home mom,with 3 kids under the age of 5. I think it was a little crazy-feeling at time time, and really needed to connect. I never thought it would actually turn into something more. I had big, secret dreams of being published, maybe even publishing a book, but it was always a “someday” kind of a thing. I never actually thought “someday” might really come true! I now work with many brands such as Michaels, Decoart, and Cricut. I have designs on Wayfair, and am working on licensing my own line of product! I was blessed to have a first book come out, and now I’m working on a second book, and other exciting things that I never thought would happen to me. 10 years ago, these things weren’t even in my line of site. If they have happened for me, they can also happen for you. I’ve never been a “fall in the lap” kind of person.. ha ha.. I wish! Most of what I’ve been able to do has been from chasing it, over and over. Getting rejection, trying again. What is that Japanese proverb? Fall down seven times, stand up eight. Over 10 years, it’s been much more than that! You just have to keep standing up, over and over. It’s hard, but you can do that too! But, I would be lying if I didn’t say, man, would I love for something really big to fall in my lap!!!  Just once!

2. What is your favorite DIY project that you have completed?

This is actually really hard, because over 10 years there have been so many! If I had to choose one, I would have to say our kitchen, which was featured in Country Living magazine.

3. What is something useful you have learned from a blog conference?

The biggest thing I’ve taken away from blog conferences is to go to them. I always walk away with something new. It’s so easy to sit behind the screen by yourself, but unless you get out there, you aren’t expanding your horizons and finding away to earn new information. I’ve gotten just as much information and motivation from the down times as I have in classes and seminars. It’s important when you live in a world, to experience every aspect, and I think meeting and interacting with like-minded people is one of them.

4. What is something you love about blogging and what is something you wish you could change?

 Before blogging, it was really hard to get published. I wrote many,many query letters I never got  a reply from. I love that blogging has made publishing so easy. Without it, I might still be writing a lot of dead-end letters.There are so many opportunities if you are willing to take risks, rejections, and rewards all wrapped up at once!

One thing I don’t like though are the appearances and comparisons. It is so easy to compare yourself to somewhere who seems like they’ve cracked the code. It seems sometimes like everyone is doing so much better than you, while in all honesty, they are struggling right a long beside you. But, since there’s no way to know what is going on in someone else’s life, it can make you feel less than, and I never really liked that part very much. That’s why it’s so important to keep your head-down and work hard.

5. What is one piece of advice you would offer a blogger–new or otherwise–who is going to Haven?

Just go! And, be willing to talk and approach people. I’ve met so many cool people like Mike Holmes,Sherry Young, and Christiane Lemieux, just by going up and saying hi! We are all in the same boat. No one is too good to talk to you or better than you, even if they are a “bigger” blogger. If they are there, they are approachable! Start conversations! You have something amazing to offer because you are you!!! Talk to brands, make the most of your time, and enjoy the experience!! It’s all about stepping out and talking those risks so that you can expand your horizons, and work towards those big dreams we never thought were even possible. Because they are right there, waiting for you to take a step towards them!

I am so honored to be asked to be a Haven Mentor this year, and meet even more new friends, and catch up with some old ones!

Head over to Chaotically Creative next and read her inspiring answers as a Haven Mentor!!

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