I've lately been hearing some people saying that they want to blog, but they just can't think of anything to write. That's a good problem to have, because it means that there's lots of options for you to write about. I'd like to share some of my personal tips for blog ideas, to get you jump-started into the new year if you are having a bit of writer's block.
1. Post Titling- Every time you think of something interesting to write about, load up your post page and make a new draft with the idea as the title. Even if you don't feel like blogging write then, just write it down. It will make it a lot easier to have something to work from when you're in the mood instead of just staring at a blank screen.
2. Brainstorm- Sit down with a pen and paper and write down every idea that pops into your head, good and bad. Then look through your list and choose at least ten favorites. Write those posts.
3. Do a Series- I've discovered that there seems to be a series for every season floating around in the blogosphere. Participate in one- it gives you great prompts for every day of the month!
4. Make a Goal- Decide that you are going to post say four blog posts in January. Open four new drafts of posts and title them January. Do your best to achieve your goal.
5. Time Block it- Decide that every Sunday you are going to spend 30 minutes working hard on a post, no surfing around, no youtube, no procrastinating on other blogs. Just writing. See what you come up with.
6. Browse other Blogs for Inspiration- In this world, nothing is original. So check out your favorite blogs and use their posts. Think about why you like those blogs. Do some of your own takes on their posts, and post about the things you like to read about.
7. Remember That it Doesn't Have to be Perfect- Unless you are some super popular blogger who has half the world following them, chances are you aren't trying to please everyone in the world and won't get tons of negative feedback if your post isn't up to par. I've discovered that people on blogger are pretty darn nice, and unless you start ranting about hating someone or something or are really disrespectful you probably won't get any rude or negative comments. And honestly, that's what the delete comment button's for. You blog for you and you alone, so blog what you like. It doesn't have to be the most amazing post ever written, as long as you had fun writing it.
And if blogging seems as if it has become more of a chore than fun, then maybe blogging just isn't for you. That's ok. Blogging should be a favorite pastime, not homework. Do what you love in your free time.
I hope that these tips help you- writer's block is so annoying! Do you have any tips? I'd love to hear them in the comments! Thanks guys!
Day 12- Christmas Traditions/ Photos
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, ten lords-a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids-a-milking, seven swans-a-swimming, six geese-a-laying, five golden rings, four mocking bids, three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Merry Christmas everyone! For my last day of Christmas blog post, I thought I would do a recap of my Christmas holiday. This Christmas was perfectly wonderful, as Christmas usually is. I love that feeling of waking up on Christmas morning (I still wake up super early because I'm so excited) and then rushing out to open gifts and start Christmas. Family comes, and everyone gets to play games together and eat the best food you eat all year. It's so fun. So I thought, to sort of give you a little peek at my day, I'll do my main traditions with some cute photos and snapshots thrown in every now and then.
So on the 23rd I go with my cousins and grandma to her Christmas Eve Eve service at her church. Her church always does a really cool sermon, and I love going to it every year. Plus, her church's worship is literally a rock concert, like it's so loud that my cousin wears noise cancelation earphones, and everyone rocking out and there's smoke and lights and the camera zooms in on the worship leaders and it's just pretty much awesome. I mean, who doesn't like to rock out to Jesus music?
my grandma's fudge
On the 24 (Christmas Eve!!) I go to Universal Studios down in LA with my mom, dad, sisters, and grandpa, and sometimes my cousins come as well- this year only one of them came. We had a lot of fun, I love all the decorations and pretend snow on the stores and shops and all that fun stuff. It's so neat.
My grandparents arrive for dinner, and we exchange even more gifts. Guess what? I got a polaroid camera! So neat! I also got a jewelry box and this beautiful pearl necklace that's absolutely gorgeous (I got so many fun necklaces). My dad got a new iPad and an Apple TV, so he hooked that up and my sister tried out some games. My grandma made a beautiful quilt that has fabric with three little girls on it- just like me and my sisters! So amazing. We ate dinner, for which my dad always prepares the famous "rare roast beast" (like in the grinch, we always call it that) and this amazing dish with brussel sprouts and bacon, and salad, and green beans, and potatoes...so good. And brownies and chocolate and all that amazing stuff. My dad and I make a really nice cheese plate- I love fancy cheeses and olives and all that.
Merry Christmas my dear readers! I had so much fun doing this series, thanks for reading along the way. I have no doubt it will make an appearance next year. I love you all so much, and can't wait to embark on the new year- I already have SO many new sweet blog post ideas cooked up...they're going to be AWESOME! Merry Christmas everyone!
Day 11- What's Christmas Really About?
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me, eleven pipers piping, ten lords-a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids-a-milking, seven swans-a-swimming, six geese-a-laying, five golden rings, four mocking bids, three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Tis the season, for candy canes and colored lights. We've done ten days of Christmasy blog posts here on Day-Dreamer, Night-Thinker, and I think it's important for me to highlight the best aspect of Christmas. I find it amazing that the world gathers together to celebrate this holiday, wether they understand its reason or not. It's awesome, that we can all be together and love each other, just as Jesus loved us.
Guys, my heart swells up when I talk about this love, it's AMAZING. I mean, God loves us pathetic looser sinners enough to send himself as a tiny, helpless, vulnerable baby, and then go through Hell for us on the cross, just so we never have to. That is awesome, and there is no amount of thank yous or good deeds that could repay God or thank Him for what he did, we can't earn His love, he gave it to us freely because He loves us that much. And, on Christmas, we celebrate that action. God became a baby. Just think about that for a moment. This is the same God who created galaxies, created time, and created every tiny quirk about you, every detail, who knows the amount of hairs on your head and the name of each star in the sky, he humbled himself to become a baby, a tiny infant, born not even in a house, but in a barn, in what is essentially a dinner plate for donkeys, because He loves us that much. That's a big reminder to me that there's nothing we can do to repay God, we can't earn His love, because He already gave it. On that night, a whole list of things that were foretold in the Old Testament came, and began to come, true. That's so neat. And then a star, a brilliant star, lit up the night over where the baby was born. Think how amazing that must've been, an entire, bright star just for a tiny new baby boy. And He was a king. And who did God first tell about this king that had been born? Not rich people, not royalty, he told the shepherds, the shepherds, who were rough people, making a meager living on herding sheep. The lowest of the low. That's who he told. That's amazing. And then wise men came and gave the baby Frankincense, myrrh, and gold. Gold as a symbol of kingship, frankincense as the symbol of god-hood, and myrrh as a symbol of mortality (death, as they would later find out, on a cross). Think how amazing, how astounding, it was when Jesus was born. And we still celebrate that event today.
So when we gather with our family for Christmas, when we exchange gifts and tear off colored paper and drink cocoa, let's remember what we're representing. When we give a gift, we are representing Jesus, the best gift ever given. It is so special that we get to have such a wonderful tradition and holiday to celebrate.
Merry Christmas everyone, I love you all. And I hope this Christmas you remember who loves you the most- wether you love Him or not, it doesn't matter, because He loves you more than anyone ever could. <3
Day 10- Advent Brunch
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, ten lords-a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids-a-milking, seven swans-a-swimming, six geese-a-laying, five golden rings, four mocking bids, three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.
My church hosts an annual Advent Brunch for all the women in the church at a very fancy hotel in our town. During the brunch, a couple women from the church share their stories, and it is very inspiring. My mother usually goes, but this year she had to take my aunt to chemo, because she is having treatment, so she gave me her ticket instead. I was one of the youngest there, and I felt very honored to get to partake in the tradition on behalf of my mom. In respect for the women's privacy, I'm not going to repeat any of their testimonies, but I will say that it was very inspiring and amazing. The food was SO GOOD- it was by far the fanciest breakfast I'd ever eaten, and in my nice winter dress and surrounded by women in heels and skirts, with waiters asking my if I'd like peppermint tea, I felt a little like a princess, or Annie, or something. It was such a special occasion.
Day 9-My Wish List in Pictures
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, nine ladies dancing, eight maids-a-milking, seven swans-a-swimming, six geese-a-laying, five golden rings, four mocking birds, three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.
So for Day 9 (eek!!) I thought it might be kind of fun to do a wish list post, but instead of writing it all out I'm going to do a sort of collage-type picture thing. So here it is!!
Day 8-DIY Gift- Mini Canvas Painting Set (with only three colors!)
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, eight maids-a-milking, seven swans-a-swimming, six geese-a-laying, five golden rings, four mocking birds, three french hans, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.
So for day 8 I have another cute Christmas DIY- a mini canvas painting set! This is super simple, only three colors went into this! Everyone knows that paints are crazy expensive, so this is awesome that you only need three colors to make a totally adorable homemade gift.
So before we start I need to cover a few things- I did mine with oil paint because I'm an oil paint kind of girl. If you have never painted with oil paint before and have no idea how I do not recommend going and buying oil paints just for this project and just getting started like that, oil paint requires A LOT of specific materials (some of which are toxic) and you need to do some research before you jump in. I will most likely be doing an oil painting how-to post after the Christmas series, and I can't wait to introduce you to the wonderful world of oils, but until then, hold off on the oil painting unless you know someone who can help you.
And guys, acrylic is awesome, I recommend using that instead of oil paint if you are new to this whole oils thing.
Ok, that's enough of that, let's do this thing! I'm just going to go for this in steps, if you have a question about a specific step or need help with your materials, drop me a comment and I will be sure to help out :)
Step 1:
So first gesso your super cute mini canvases (duh).
Step 2:
Choose a dark blue as your first color. If you need to, you can mix around a little to find the color best suited for you, but I actually just went with the straight tube color (sorry art teachers). I used Phthalo Blue, by Winsor & Newton (love Winsor & Newton, by the way). Using a medium sized filbert brush, apply it evenly to both canvases. You want the base color to be the same for both so that they correspond in the set. Cover the entire canvas with a nice thick coat. You can let some brush strokes show through so that you really get that sky feel, if you catch my meaning.
Step 3:
So now we're going to focus on just one canvas at a time. I'm going to start with the starry clouds one. Using the same filbert brush (but clean it off first), apply some white in the spots you want to be the clouds. Start with a really thin, wispy coat, then work more into the spots you want to look thicker and fluffier. Let your brushstrokes show through a little to emphasize that cloud texture.
Use a very small, thin, round brush to dot in the stars with white. You could make them sparse for a more cloudy night, or abundant to show a clearer night. It's up to the artist. After that, sign your canvas, and you're done with the first one!
Step 5:
Next canvas! Switch back to your filbert. Start by doing the mountains. Straight black from the tube worked great for me. Make them look like mountains- lumpy and irregular.
Time to make a nice gradation. You want to make it so the top is much darker than the space very close to the mountains. Work black into the very top, carefully mixing it with the phthalo blue. Then add a touch of white to the bottom, near the mountaintops, to make it lighter. Add thicker little wisps to mimic clouds.
*Note- the white is not in this picture- I hadn't added it yet.
Step 7:
Almost done! Use your thin brush again to paint in tiny dots for stars and a crescent moon, or you could make it full if you like. Put these up top, in the black part only, not near the mountains, to show that night is just falling, and that twilight has just passed. Sign it, and you're all done!
There it is, two beautiful paintings for a loved one! I hope you enjoyed this DIY, and remember, all questions can be answered, painting is tricky and I will try my very best to help you out, wether it be materials or technique. Thanks guys!
Day 7-My Christmas Favorites
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me, seven swans-a-swimming, six geese-a-laying, five golden rings, four mocking birds, three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Carol: The 12 Days of Christmas (obviously) and Carol of the Bells.
Movie: Umm.. I love them all so much, I really love a Christmas Story and Home Alone, those have two be my top two.
Cookie: My mom makes the best chocolate chip walnut cookies around the holidays..mmmm..
Gift Received: I really loved receiving my first little gardening set when I was really little, it came with a red wheelbarrow and tools, I remember that day. It was so fun. Also the Christmas my sisters and I woke up to find a trampoline in the living room...woah..that was awesome.
Gift Given: Last year I made little mini canvases with paintings and mini easels for my grandparents, those were adorable.
Tradition: I love going to see my Grandma's church's Christmas Eve Eve service with my cousins, it is always a really interesting sermon and I love visiting with my cousins. And of course my favorite favorite part is waking up on Christmas morning, and then when it's about mid-morning and my stomach is so full of Christmas breakfast and I have so many new things to play with (who says teenagers can't have toys?).
Decoration: The lights outside the house and the tree.
Book: Home for the Holidays from the Mother-Daughter Book Club series, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Hope you enjoyed reading my favorites, what are some of yours? Comment down below!!
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