Welcome to another edition of Behind the Blog where we introduce you, our friend, to the fabulous bloggers behind the blogs we love!!
This week we are so excited to welcome the lovely, talented Roeshel from The DIY Showoff! Most DIYers are familiar with Roeshel and her generous heart! Roeshel loves to show off other DIYers on her blog and give them a chance to shine! She also hosts the very popular DIY Project Parade each week, definitely one of the most attended parties in blogland! That makes her very special in our book! So please join us in welcoming
Roeshel from DIY Showoff to At The Picket Fence!
Before we jump into the questions we want to take a moment to “squeal!!” with excitement along with Roeshel over the opportunity given to her and several other amazing bloggers including last week’s Blogger Behind the Blog, Rhoda from Southern Hospitality. Shaw Floors invited them to design a room literally from the floor up! Here’s the room that Roeshel and Cassity from Remodelholic created!
Yep pretty darn fabulous!! You can read more about their experience at The DIY Showoff! Now onto the questions!
Up first we asked Roeshel to share with us the “Ins and Outs” of her blogging experiences
What prompted you to start blogging in the first place?
“I first started blogging when we purchased an old farmhouse. We fell in love with its charm and potential and jumped right into doing cosmetic changes as time and money allowed. I started blogging to journal our progress.”
How long have you been blogging?
“I’ve been blogging for over two years at the DIY Show Off but maintained a personal blog (including DIY too) for about two years before that as well. So, for about 4 years.”
What is the story behind your blog name?
“The DIY Show Off was created when I realized that sharing our projects with the blogging community received feedback, reassurance, praise and interaction. It felt so rewarding to share our hard work and I wanted others to experience that same fun, rewarding experience and encouragement for their DIY projects. So, I gave up my personal blog and started one where everyone could “show off” inspiring DIY and creativity and start a collection of DIY projects and tutorials to help others who share a DIY passion. It’s a big inspiration and so motivating to see real life DIY projects.”
What is one piece of advice you would give to a “new” blogger?
“Blog for yourself. Don’t give up. It takes dedication. Blogging is time consuming. Realize that your main goal is to blog for yourself and to maintain a schedule that works for you. LIFE comes first. It’s so easy to get caught up in feeling competitive and to get discouraged, feeling as if no one reads your blog. Remember that your posts are permanently in an online archive and even if someone isn’t reading that day, it’s there to be found. Hidden treasures are the best! :)”
(We love that about the ‘hidden treasures’! It’s a good reminder that when you are starting out and you wonder if anyone is even reading what you write, that your posts have value and you never know who may “stumble” upon them down the road!)
What is one piece of advice you would give to a “seasoned” blogger to avoid the dreaded blogger burn-out?
“The same advice, I guess. Blog for yourself. When I’m feeling overwhelmed and burnt out and need a break, I step away and breathe. You are your own boss so give yourself a mental health day when needed.”
How have you learned to balance blogging with the rest of your life Roeshel, which we are sure is something all bloggers struggle with?
“Real life comes first. Blogging is a priority for me but not the tippy-top priority. Family and health come first. Balancing that, I love that blogging holds me accountable for finishing what I start. I tend to procrastinate. I work better under pressure but I love being organized and prepared as well.”
What are your top 3 favorite things about blogging?
“1) Making friends. I’ve met some really amazing bloggers who share my passion for DIY. Blogging has given me so many more opportunities to make new friends. I appreciate every single follower, subscriber and comment. Blog friends make me smile. Virtual friends are ‘real’ friends too. Ya know? 2) Giving recognition for a DIY job well done. I know how I feel when someone tells me I’ve done a good job. I like making others feel good about themselves and what they do too. 3) Being a source of inspiration and motivation to DIY, get it done and make your home a place you love.”
Up next we asked Roeshel to share a little bit about her own projects.
What has been your most popular project with your readers?
“Not really “a” project but a collection of favorites.”
Favorite #1) Our Family Home Tour
Favorite #2) BaBy-Q Baby Shower
What is YOUR favorite project you have ever done?
“My favorite project is whatever I just finished. When it was our bathroom, then I could sit in there looking around for days! When it was my brooch wreath, I moved it around from room to room, hanging it up, moving it around. I’m still messing with it and rearranging. But most recently my favorite is my kitchen-in-progress.”
(Yep, we love this one too Roeshel! If you ever come home and your flooring is missing it wasn’t us…we swear. )
Have you ever had a project that completely failed and you did not show it on your blog?
“Hmmm. It’s a secret! Just kidding! Yes! Of course! Lots of them. The first that comes to mind is that we started a quick fix in our master bathroom when we moved in. But it never got much further and I’d NEVER show it off until I had a beautiful transformation. We’re both so disgusted by it, we’re tempted to demo the entire space without a budget or a plan. Thankfully we do have other bathrooms.”
(Yeah! We’re so glad to know we aren’t the only ones with rooms we would never show on our blog yet! 
Keeps it real ya know?! )
Keeps it real ya know?! )We call this next round the “If You Were Stranded On A Desert Island” Set of Questions! (original we know…)
If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want to have with you?
“This is a hard one! A DIY girl has to have her (1) tools, (2) my tea and (3) my bible.”
If you could only have one person with you on that island (and we won’t judge if it’s not your hubby..we promise ), whom would it be?
), whom would it be? “My Mr. DIY. I love him, we’re best friends and we make a great team. Plus he does the cooking and I must eat to survive! Bonus”“
(Well, in that case we don’t blame you one bit for wanting hubby along. A best friend AND a cook is the best combination! )
And last but certainly not least, we’re going to put Roeshel under the magnifying glass with Our Reader Questions..cause we know y’all are as nosy as we are!
We had y’all submit some questions you would might ask another blogger if you had the chance…here are the two we selected for Roeshel to answer!
You always have such fabulous inspiration for others! Where do YOU look or go to for DIY Inspiration for your projects?
“I find inspiration from other bloggers and real DIY, like the ones linked in my weekly party. I also find inspiration on Pinterest (addiction!) and my favorite magazines. I’m probably no different than anyone else…I just do what I love.”
If you had to choose one food (or type of food) to eat for the rest of your life what would it be?
“I’m actually not a big eater or picky. I just eat. lol I know. My husband does the cooking and it drives him crazy that I don’t share his passion for food. I do loves sweets though. ;)”
Thank you so much Roeshel for taking the time to answer our questions and letting us get a glimpse at the Blogger Behind the Blog! We appreciate you so much and the opportunities you give other bloggers everyday to shine! You are an example of how we as bloggers should be supporting each other and for that we say “thank you”!
And thank you to our readers who joined us today for our second installment of Behind the Blog! We will be taking a break next Monday, from Behind the Blog, because we have a fun giveaway planned for our friends at the fence! But, we will resume Behind the Blog, August 8th, where we will be interviewing another fabulous blogger so join us then to find out who our next Blogger Behind the Blog is…
…cause you never know who might show up next at the fence!
Thank you for joining us, Roeshel, and The DIY Showoff…at the picket fence!
Roeschel is a sweet heart and it shows through her blog. Not to mention her fabulous design skills. I adore what her and Cassity did to that room in their design and color scheme. I hope they WIN!~ Great series, I enjoy it:)!
Awe, you two are so sweet! Thank you for the opportunity to answer some fun questions and be a part of your Behind the Blog series. I love getting to know the girl behind the scenes and look forward to reading every week! This is one of the first interviews I’ve done and I had a blast! 😉
Thanks for sharing the room Cassity and I did! We’re so excited with more fun details coming up. There was some gorgeous competition but I’m with Debbie – I hope WE WIN!
Thanks again, girls! I love the creative bond that you two share and your fun blog!
Roeshel
I love this series of meeting the bloggers behind the blogs. I relate to so many things said.
I LOVE the Baby-Q post and had completely forgotten about it. My SIL is expecting and this would be the PERFECT shower for her, her husband and their fun-loving friends! Thanks for another inspiring idea, Roeshel!
I love this Behind the Blog series!
Such a great series. I follow her blog, but it is nice to know more about her. Can’t wait to see who’s next. Hugs, Marty
I too, think this is a great series. I follow Roeshel’s blog (for a LONG time) but it was great to get to know her better! (she’s a little shy!)
thanks!
gail
Thanks ladies, that was great! I just came across that photo of the living room her and Cassity did, I love it! Friday evening I included it in a post about dream living rooms and it was my top pick! Gorgeous! You should check out my pic, its from Pinterest, it looks like it was professionally shot. http://catiescorner2.blogspot.com/2011/07/living-room-dreams.html
Anyway, I’m off to check out Roeshel’s blog now! Have a great week. : ) ~ Catie
How can I be so lame as to never have visited this blog? I’m heading here now because she is clearly full of talent.
I love how she said that her favorite project is always the one most recently finished. That’s pretty much the way it goes, isn’t it?
This is too cute 🙂 I follow Roeshel’s blog and it’s great to know more about her! Thanks for sharing ladies!
What a great post! Roeshel is so amazing and so sweet and VERY talented!!
xo
Thanks ladies for having this great series and featuring Roeshel. She’s such an inspiration! I look forward to more interviews.
So glad you features her! She and Cassity did such a fab job on that room!
Thank you Roeshel, Heather and Vanessa for that wonderful interview. As a new blogger, only on the scene two months, I particularly enjoyed it because she keeps reminding us to be ourselves when blogging. I really appreciate that. Her DIY projects are exceptional. The girls offered an even more important point. Of course if those floors go missing it wasn’t them, because it was I who grabbed them first. (OMG aren’t they amazing?).
Paula
I LOVED this post. Roeshel is super inspiring. I love her comment about her master bedroom…I feel the same about ours.
How interesting to read “behind the scenes” about a great blogger. Thanks.
Roseshel is a wonderful person, and I love her blog. Thanks for showcasing such a fab blogger!