Did you come to see my DIY?

Happy Friday, friends! I am ready to downshift a bit from the hectic of this week and transition to the wholesome with ballet, Daisies, and soccer mixed with some great sunshine (pretty, please strange Midwestern weather?)

As promised, I wanted to share some goodies I learned over with the innovative educators of Alt Summit. I feel like a four-time proud alumna (check out my recap of Growing your Readership), armed with more knowledge and idea inspiration.

When I saw this course title come up on the Alt website, I immediately clicked in. Victoria over at asubtlerevelry.com led us through "How DIY posts, no matter your niche, can drive readership." Victoria is a totally dedicated, passionate mom of twin daughters who specializes in the "art of merry making" and that kind of just sounds awesome to me because I love to be merry. In her eyes DIY can make a huge difference and can elevate your site from okay to a-mazing!

Blogger buds, happy weekend: here are my 5 helpful takeaways on DIYs.

#1 Be original

Yes, we're developing a theme here. This was Nicole's big push in the readership class, and Victoria stressed this need for great, original content. According to Victoria, original = not done before, done in a new and unique way, used in a capacity that makes the project original in its design.

Here are some nifty ideas from her on how to allow the divine and clearly original inspiration to seep in. Let your brain relax. Take a walk (without the mobile device), a shower. Look at old books and (more so than blogs even) and let yourself be inspired.

#2 Begin it

If you're still feeling desperate for that magical, fabulous post, she encouraged beginning something. Just start working on something, and as you go through the process of creating, other things will inspire and bring new energy and creativity to you.

#3 Keep it accessible

Victoria is an established crafter and blogger, and she's even headed over to the pages of Better Homes and Gardens very soon! And yet, I was edified to hear that her most popular DIY post remains a simple heart ice cube for Valentine's Day. It also brought home the point to me that you gotta keep the materials easy to find, make the steps simple, know your audience, and what they can do. And put the links to your DIYs in a really obvious location on your blog so your readers and new visitors can find these right away.

#4 Maintain beautiful in the process

Use pretty materials. Invest in nice tools. I have never critiqued my pair of scissors or noticed the quality of my kraft paper. Victoria suggested painting or wrapping your scissors with colorful washi tape to give them a fresh feel. Make every aspect of DIY photos fun and interesting, even the shots of the supply list. She encouraged all of us to take clear, well-styled photographs on a simple blank backdrop and focus on taking a killer final shot of our DIYs (even more than the step-by-steps, which, if need be, can be less than perfect compared to the final work).

#5 Schedule time

And last, but best of all in my books, was her example of how she schedules time in her week to be inspired. This is not an easy task no matter your lifestyle but poses a particular challenge to a mom of two small twins. Victoria pulls out her calendar and marks off a few hours every week to leave the house and head to the bookstore to imagine new possibilities.

Put this one on the to do list for me: Set off time to be inspired.

Along this theme of DIY, I've got a fun project coming up in collaboration with Molly the Waffler. I'm stopping over there on Wednesday because I think she may just be able to help my broken umbrella situation.

Have a fabulous weekend. Keep it bright. I can't wait to see your DIYs next week.

XOXO,
MJ