Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Changes


I've noticed a trend lately of a downward slide in readership and response to blogging. This has been noted in the news as well. I know in the small field of rug hooking there seem to be hundreds of them to read and our readership base is not that large.

I'd rather you were sitting at your frame or dyeing in your pots than spending time checking to see what drivel I've scribbled for you.

I'm going to start posting once a week. That's all. The post will be a bit longer.
I'll cover three topics.
Rugging and Spinning- what's up on the Welcome Mat, what I'm making, what others are making, hints or tips, class announcements.

Dyeing Wool- did you know I'm writing a weekly dye column on the Mat now, several recipes every week, sometimes I'll post one here or a video or show you what I dyed

Homefront and Inspiration - that'll include important updates about me and Paula Deen, my boyfriend, cooking, cats and what I'm making, what inspires me and such.
 The one exception to this is my Make Something Everyday tradition in December. I'll post every day then.


Meanwhile you can see me daily do things like the exciting" let's look at this", give you different ways to look at and do what you love, editorialize, ask questions and  answer yours, teach, give you patterns, challenges and show you incredible artists right here:


Visit The Welcome Mat

You see my boards if what interests me interests you here:
Follow Me on Pinterest

I'm tweeting some faith formulas each week right here ( you got to have faith in me because there are no pictures)



And of course there is always the ubiquitous facebook, I'd love to be your friend there or anywhere really and you will get notices of my tweets and blog post. I rarely post anything else there and NEVER playWords with Friends or Bubble Witch Saga. You will be safe from even more drivel.



Speaking of drivel, here is one last shot for you, just to let you down easy.
One the Mat I asked people to send in what they believed, in the style of the radio show , This I Believe, last week end and really it was something what people wrote. Not at liberty to quote these amazing beings you will have to be satisfied to read what I said.





I believe that over time our beliefs change as we come of age. The things we thought important in the morning of our lives lose importance as afternoon speeds along. I once thought it crucial to have concrete ways of identifying myself as I had no driver's license nor credit card and could not prove I was me! I believe that was true in a metaphorical way as well at that time and that's why it was so important, and of course more practically for writing checks.
I've found no better learning ground than rug hooking to incinerate the dross of my personality. I know me much better now. I know what I stand for and where I'm going and what I won't fall for. I know I want to keep on my path of self portraits, still proving I'm me apparently! I like to look at what others think they see when they look at me, both through the camera lens and via the finished product.
I know before I leave here there are things I want you to know and I believe I'll continue on finding out new things to tell you as I relentlessly explore myself.
I also believe the most important thing we can do is sit down and hook and express ourselves, no matter the idea behind it, the materials used, the skill depicted, our hopes for it, the end result or the opinions about it expressed by others, even experts. There is no greater gift to give yourself than this sacred time to be completely yourself. Surround yourself with others who wish for the same for you and themselves.
See you on Saturday with the first new style blog, oh and you will see I've reformatted my blogs appearance too. Use the menu to serve it up as you want to see it.   Enjoy.
POST SCRIPT
If you can't bear for this change to happen, say so, vote with your words, comment if you're reading and want to continue in the style you are accustomed to.

9 comments:

  1. I will miss checking in on you ~ but I will still check in for the once a week post! Posting takes a lot of time and if you're not a blogger, you don't realize that! I just became your follower on Pinterest ~ you're welcome to follow me, as well. That site is addicting and there are some wonderful things there! It is a lovely thought that the time not spent reading WandaWorks will be spent on hooking ~ oh, if that were true!!! I'm having a hard time getting down to my studio ~ probably because of this screen in front of me! Good luck on your new journey ~ I'll watch for you to drop by! Alice

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    1. I guess it would be good to think of it as a weekly newsletter Alice .... I'll be posting more on my blog inside The Mat too.
      Thanks for your comments!

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  2. Love the changes on your blog....and ability for me to play with the format that best suits me via the bar across the top. I think once a week is great...quality vs quantity. I've stopped reading many many blogs recently...would rather concentrate on my own life and most of them are drivel or rehash of what someone else wrote or posted! The Welcome Mat is, in my opinion, the best rug hooking resource online....it will always be my mainstay.

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    1. Jean, apparently you are not the only one who has ceased and desisted.
      I like reading some, like a good visit with the person.... very pleasant, but it becomes completely and selfishly one sided if I don't let them know I've enjoyed them or add in a note of encouragement or thoughtful reflection.
      Thanks for the good words about your feelings about the The Mat and about the changes.
      My 40s were about acceptance looks like the 50 are going to be about appreciation and respect .... self and otherwise.
      Can't wait.. LOL

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  3. Yikes - that threw me for a loop! The design change and the once/week blogging. Reading blogs is my lunchtime entertainment at the office, so I am able to check in frequently and have my faves that I check daily. I'll hook up with you on SM, if I haven't already. And of course on TWM. (all puns intended)

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  4. Allyson!
    You ok?
    I love to be shocking... have you recovered by now? There will be a FAT JOUCY Newsletter waiting for oyou here each Monday, what a way to start your week!
    I'll be blogging more frequently on The Mat... we can share there.
    Punacious!

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  5. Miss W I just checked out Pinterest. OMG now I get what you meant when you said you were gonna pin my JanGeo project. I am giddy with delight. What will they think of next? Now this is a useful tool for collecting favorite things. I'll be adding my pin-cushion soon.

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  6. As you seem to tell us often - hey, you're allowed! Lately I suppose I haven't been able to read often simply because I can't keep up with other things I care about, either. Like your I believe....

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  7. Thank you Gigi, let's make every minute count if we can.

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