Welcome, welcome Hometalk readers!
We are so thrilled to be sharing with you a little bit about ourselves and our blog, At the Picket Fence.
We are so thrilled to be sharing with you a little bit about ourselves and our blog, At the Picket Fence.
It is such an honor to be kicking off this fabulous new series, “In the Bloglight“, and we hope you enjoy learning more about what happens behind the scenes around these parts!
While we each entered the world of blogging separately, it didn’t take long for us to realize that two heads would be better than one. Although, let’s face it, we each only run on about “half-brain” capacity most of the time so joining forces was definitely a no-brainer!
As sisters, blogging together has only served to strengthen our relationship and we feel so blessed to be able to be on this roller-coaster of a ride with each other. We are both moms and wives first, but blogging has provided us with opportunities we never could have imagined, like Heather’s upcoming feature of her kitchen in Better Homes and Gardens.
What started out as a fun “hobby” has now become a way to earn a little bit of income, mostly to help offset the cost of our endless DIY projects! We would consider it to be more like a part-time job at this point but even using the word “job” to describe blogging reminds us of just what a privilege it is to get to come to work in our pj’s and ponytails….with full cups of coffee too, of course.
Why did we choose At the Picket Fence for our blog name? Well, we really wanted something that would capture the essence of our passion for community and connecting. Our vision was that our blog would be a place where people would gather to inspire and be inspired and perhaps feel encouraged along the way. We pictured folks coming out of their homes, coffee cups in hand, and meeting us there…At the Picket Fence!
You’ll find a little bit of everything at our place…
DIY
Decorating
Recipes
Crafts
Adoption
and everything in between.
We are also home to the weekly Linky party, Inspiration Friday, where we invite you to come by and link up your own projects, recipes, crafts and the stuff of everyday life.
It’s a great place to inspire and be inspired!
![Inspiration Friday Graphic_thumb[3]](https://lh4.ggpht.com/-j263oCI7Qvg/UCsMde4jWUI/AAAAAAAAME0/nZ5sm8-vDps/s1600-h/Inspiration%252520Friday%252520Graphic_thumb%25255B3%25255D%25255B5%25255D.jpg "Inspiration Friday Graphic_thumb[3]")
One of the questions we are asked most often is “how do we blog together?” We recently did a post where we delve into this answer more in depth but here is a little snippet of what we shared there..
“One fear we have had in this joint venture is a lack of personalization. We are one blog…but we are two sisters. We will often “sign” our Facebook updates, comments or tweets with our individual names so that others will know who they are talking to. We each have “blog friends” that we feel especially close to and have developed friendships with. We never want to lose who we uniquely are. We also each have special gifts, talents and subjects we feel strongly about and want our blog to reflect our individualism as well.”
We hope you will hop over to read the rest of Our Number One Question Answered.
This photo was taken on our recent trip to the Haven Blogging Conference (we said we were like Thelma and Louise except we didn’t drive off of a cliff…not that there were any cliffs on the way to Atlanta!) and the opportunity we had there to meet some of our blog friends in person just solidified for us what a special and unique community this really is!
It’s also where we met the lovely Miriam, Miss Hometalk herself, which turned into the wonderful role we now have as hometalk Ambassadors. We have been having way too much fun seeing all of the incredible projects everyone shares and we are always amazed at how much talent and creativity there is out there!
Vanessa recently hosted her first Hometalk House Party and we would encourage all of you to host one too. They are super fun and you can find everything you need to know about how to host one here.
Aside from the fact that we have been blessed to turn our passion for our homes and families into a business, our greatest joy has been the connections we have made with other people from around the world. Everyday we marvel at the fact that we have formed true friendships that we know will last a lifetime and that the desire we had, from the very beginning, to help build a community has come to fruition.
Our hope is that anyone who shares from their hearts and their homes will find “blogland” to be a welcoming place. Being your true, authentic self is vital to your success as a blogger. Carve out your own little corner, find your “voice” and be as encouraging to others as you want them to be towards you!
Heather recently wrote a wonderful post entitled, “10 Commandments for Every Blogger“, and we truly believe that these will help you go far in being the best blogger you can possibly be.
As our blog has grown and changed over the last year and a half, we are ever mindful of our “roots”. While our photography has definitely improved, one thing that hasn’t changed is our passion for connecting with others and we trust that this will remain the one constant in the ever-changing, wacky world of blogging!
Well, that and the fact that we are still just two half-brain gals coming together to form what we hope is one semi-lucid mind…most of the time!
Thanks so much to hometalk for putting us “In the Bloglight” today and we hope you will come back to visit us again At the Picket Fence!
Great article ladies! Y’all keep up the excellent work. Congrats on being in the Bloglight! 🙂
You girls are rock stars – not only do you share such a fabulous blog (without killing each other!), but each of your personalities manages to shine through.
Here’s to the Thelma & Louise of bloggers (if only there was a Brad Pitt involved, it would be perfect)!
Kelly
Awesome! Great write-up, I love it!!! and your photos are so gorgeous, clear and bright. I need a new camera!!! lol
Keep on sharing those fabulous ideas.
xox
I love this and I saw y’all on the Blogtalk spotlight this morning! You two are the best and I remember when you combined your selves, well, when you joined. You know! 😉 Keep it coming and I just love you two little gals and would die for all of that gorgeous hair you both have. Well, I’d faint for it anyway!
You are a couple of sweeties,
Shelia 😉
Keep Rocking ladies! Fantastic Blog here, love all your posts- every single one has such an amazing meaning! Thanks for being you and doing your do!
Jen
You know, you two sisters really make the best team ever! I bet this entire endeavor has brought you even closer. I would love to blog with my sister. However, she works full time and could never do it with me:)
Congrats on your feature at HomeTalk! You both are such special ladies.
Congrats on your feature! I’ve been a bit behind and need to check HomeTalk out. See ya later today at the partay.
Blessings,
Linda
Great post! I think you girls to a fantastic job at being one blog and yet 2 people. I’m starting to “hear” your individual voices in the posts and it’s great. I really wish we had a white picket fence we could all gather at every day, I would love that! I think I should have been born in the 50’s. 🙂
Anna
I truly love reading your posts…your blog is not only informative but so inspirational…Hometalk is blessed to have such great Ambassadors as you two…you compliment each other so well. Your blog is like a breath of fresh air!
This was a Great read!!! Congratulations again on your success.
Blessings
Angelina
Great post! I really enjoy your blog and I am off to check out your “What to do if you don’t have a white kitchen” post. Congratulations!
Yay, I just love this round-up of what makes you girls uniquely YOU! I always find inspiration, encouragement and a smile here… thank you for being a bright spot in the big ‘ole blogosphere!
xo Heidi
Hi, girls! I’m so glad I got to meet you both at Haven, even if I didn’t have enough time to spread around and really get to know you both. Now, I’m getting that opportunity through HOmetalk! Love this post, ya’ll are such fun girls and I can’t wait til Heather moves to ATL and we can hang out in person. xoxo
Extremely in getting children excited about their veggies. There is nothing quite like pulling up a carrot and then finding that same carrot, all nicely peeled, on your plate that night at dinner.
Wonderful writeup! It’s been fun getting to know you two through HomeTalk!