New Kid On The Blog, Jan. 2013

Well. Happy NEW year, folks! It's always a little strange, isn't it, when you write the year for the first few times? It's a new year, a new month and therefore time to check out a new blog. I've realized that many of the sites I "like" and either add to my blog roll or post about in this feature are food blogs. And I'm not much of a food blog fan. Imagine that. I think I am drawn, in some cases, to the personality that shines through. And the look and feel of the photography and graphics. That seems to be the commonality amongst most of my favorite blogs - color, design, voice and vision. This month's choice is no different - except where it is. Because tatertotsandjello is a charming and crafty lifestyle blog. Check out Jen's world, whip up some wall art or stitch up a greeting card or two and enjoy my New Year's gift to you!

New Kid On The Blog, December 2012: Sally J Shim

You may or may not know that for the past 18 months or so I have been dreaming fantasizing about opening a little business. When I've least expected it I've been ambushed by this need to indulge my creative self, to be my own boss, to escape from the irritation of constantly being subject to someone (everyone) who knows better. With all of that swirling around in my heart and soul, late last year, I was challenged to develop a business plan to seed this idea. What I came up with is very much like what sallyjshim is all about. Now, I never saw sallyjshim when I started. But what she and I - and many others as it turns out - have invisioned is a marketable marriage of graphic design, packaging, handcrafting and fine paper goods with a little Martha Stewart (of course) sprinkled in. So my shop hasn't gone very far but sallyjshim has a lovely blog, and so many beautiful things to see. Visit, browse, get to know her and her charming family. Just promise me when Le Shop de Joanne opens, you'll come on by and visit me too!

New Kid On The Blog, November 2012: Making It Lovely

There are so many good and so many bad designs on the web. It amazes me that anybody cares so little to make a website look like this! But I guess I can put up with that when I also get to see ones like this. It's a touchy subject amongst bloggers. To custom design (& host) or not to custom design. A pleasant conversation between two casual friends came to a sudden, uncomfortable end over this topic. Podcast partners, Joy and Tracy, independently successful bloggers, nearly came to blows over it. The thing of it is, what matters is not how it's made but how it looks. I've come to realize, as with life itself, it's best to have a vision and stick to it. That's what makes Nicole's "Making It Lovely" blog, well, so lovely. Her obvious pleasure using pale pinks & corals (set off by whites & other neutrals) infuses every thing from her backgrounds to the furniture, fashion, paint - even the kids' Halloween costumes - that she posts about. Peruse her blog and let me know if you like it too!

New Kid On The Blog, October 2012: The Pretty Blog

I have visited wedding sights on the internet like the Knot and Martha Stewart Weddings. I've browsed beautiful shops on Etsy.com for favors and paper creations. I've enjoyed discovering many DIY projects and crafts on different personal blogs. The Pretty Blog, however, touches on all of these and does so against a really elegant and creative background. You can peek into wedding events posted by ThePrettyBlog's lovely authors, Christine and Nicola. You can download free printables for party, gift-giving and organizing. You can even submit your own photos and events to be featured on the site. Or you can simply soak in the great graphics and pretty photography but whichever you choose you will get a large dose of inspiration from these 2 South African dolls.

The New Kid On The Blog, September 2012: Skinny Taste

Unlike most of the "new" blogs I've featured here, I did NOT come by skinny taste via shutterbean or joy the baker. Instead I found that the recipes on this site often came up in random searches I've been doing to find healthier meals and better eating tips and tricks. The blog is clean, straight-forward and chock full of great recipe ideas. I'm always skeptical because lousy-tasting diet food can easily look just as good as the real thing (i.e. fat-laden and over-salted)! However reading Gina's recipes, posts and stories, I can believe in most cases the simple substitutions and restraint she uses help deliver fewer calories and cleaner ingredients along with flavor and satisfaction. Not to mention - *bonus* - I only have to raid my pantry or visit the grocery down the street to gather all I need. I can be adventurous in cooking but it's great to have a resource like Gina for when I'm feeling lazy!

The New Kid On The Blog, August 2012: Tea & Cookies

This is a lovely blog that is all about my closet life! Just read the subtitle ... recipes, travel, books, gardening, coffee! Fabulous! Hmm? It doesn't say "coffee"? Okay - well it's kinda the same thing, right? Anyway - check it out. I gave you the link to the particular post that lead me there, courtesy of Shutterbean's "I Love Lists Friday" post of July 13th. "Crossing the Street" is such a beautiful essay. By the way - I happen to own that exact tea strainer shown in the blog's masthead! For reals. I bought it many years ago and it holds the same kinds of wonderful memories that "Tea" conjures on her blog. I was spending a late spring day in the city, before late spring in the city was filthy, hot, sticky, pretentious and smelly. What is that you say? It was never NOT filthy, hot, sticky, pretentious and smelly? Well then maybe it was just before I minded that so much. Anyway I was treating myself to a special day at the salon, a quiet lunch alone and leisurely strolling and shopping on Madison. I came across the darling antique shop in the lobby of The Barbizon Hotel. Such a throw-back! If I were living that day now I'd say it reminded me of Mad Men, of a day when an adventurous young woman might come to live in "the Big Apple" but would need watching out for. Of a day when women wore gloves to work and men were just beginning to rebel against hats and ties when stepping out. Tea & Cookies...a pleasure to savor.

The New Kid On The Blog, July 2012: PuglyPixel

Heh heh heh. Don't really need to say much more than that. Pugly Pixel - powered by pastries. She's funny. I had tongue firmly in cheek when I first found this blog. Not in the mode of sarcasm or irony but smugness. Yes I am guilty of that sometimes. I expected PP's Photoshop tutorials to be, well, amateur. But guess what? They are not. She spends a lot of time writing great, very clear how-to's on some pretty specialized PS tools. I was impressed. And she posts them for free. And she shares all kinds of other cool graphic resources with us. Her graphics are young and a little quirky and definitely quite fetching. Check her out and score some virtual swag!

The New Kid On The Blog, June 2012: PurlBee

This might come as a surprise to anyone who knows me. Knitting is NOT my thing. I've tried it. I didn't like it. But I DO love artists and crafters who love what they do and do it so exceptionally well that they create works of art with style, wit and perfect execution. Check out the Purl Bee not only for beautiful knit and textile designs but lovely site design as well!

The New Kid On The Blog, May 2012: La Tartine Gourmande

Okay folks, ready for new blogger of the week, part 2? This one will blow you visual-type peeps away! I was clicking around Modern Kiddo's list of  "Sites We Love" and found my way to Béatrice Peltre's gorgeous La Tartine Gourmande.  I knew immediately that she was my next featured blogger when I couldn't stop pinning her photos! Bright, charming and captivating, the images seem to embody the person - they look modern and urban (she's a young Mom living and working in Boston) yet a little bit country (Bea confesses to being a lover of nature and the outdoor, raised in the countryside) and definitely French (yes, born there)! Checkout her blog and her book of the same name.

The New Kid On The Blog, April 2012: Modern Kiddo

I must admit to you that I am a very atypical blogger. Number one, I do not think I have much in my life that anyone would be interested in hearing about. Number 2, I try to avoid surfing other blogs too much (I'm sorry but I tend toward obsessive-compulsive so I need to practice avoidance)! But I DO love discovering, exploring and digesting good/pretty/informative/fun sites. To ease this conundrum, instead of wandering about the web aimlessly, haphazardly, I have been exploring with a guide. I have been using my favorite bloggers to lead me to others. Last year Joy The Baker introduced me to Shutterbean. Now Shutterbean has recommended Modern Kiddo to me. Thanks, ladies..not only am I loving this great round-robin, but this new-blogger-of-the-moment approach has also provided me with new content ;o) Please, visit Alix & Dottie, aka Modern Kiddo. If you do it right away you might even win a prize!