If Nobody Left A Comment Would YOU Continue To Blog!!??

Would you continue to write your blog if you did not get any comments?

I had to stop, and ask myself this question! I love to read my reader's comments, and I will have to admit I am not sure if I would. So does that mean I am blogging for all the wrong reasons? I really had to ponder on this for awhile.

The reason that this question came to  my mind was…… while perusing blog land ever once in awhile I will come upon a blog while blog hopping that is so well written, and they seem to have way more followers than my little blog, and yet no one is ever commenting on their blog. There are also some new blogs that have a few followers and very few comments, that actually makes more logical sense to me than the other scenario.

I have to give them kudos for continuing to put out such wonderful post without getting any feedback.

I am not sure if I could do that. I have always been amazed at how some well written post will get a few comments, and then other blogs will put up one picture and say something like, “I love this!” and they will get multiple comments. Seriously!??

It truly does not make any logical sense to me, so I have just about concluded that it will always be a mystery.

Now back to the question at hand……   “Would you still continue writing if no one ever commented?”

I guess I might keep trying to put out more  post in hopes that maybe someone would happen upon my blog, and like it enough to let me know, but I must admit after awhile I am not sure if I would continue. I wonder how many really good blogs have disappeared because no one ever took the time to notice how good they were and bothered to leave a comment to let them know how much they enjoyed what they just read.

I for one am going to try and be more generous with my comments and let people know that I really like what they are writing.  I think if I can take the time to read it I should be able to take the time to comment. How about you all, how do you feel about this? I know it should not be about the numbers game, but we all have to admit it is a little bit like getting a grade, don't you think?

  Now for the technical issues with commenting:

I know blogger, or Google, or both have had some major issues this past month. I have received a few emails of wonderful readers that did take the time to let me know they could no longer comment on my blog due to the glitches.

One very generous blogger, Erika of Tiptoe Butterfly let me know that she could not comment without a great deal of effort on her part. I so appreciated her perseverance in still leaving me comments. She also let me know if I changed how my comment form came up that she would be able to post with the browser she uses, Internet Explorer.

She told me how to do it, and now Erika can post comments. I hope this will help others. Here is the link to her post on what to do. 

One more little item: While you are changing the comment setting you might also want to turn off word verification. I am not sure that it is really necessary and it can sometimes prevent readers from leaving a comment because they don't want to take the time so I would suggest turning it off. 

Your comment settings should look like this:


Show word verification for comments?

Yes No This will require people leaving comments on your blog to complete a word verification step, which will help reduce comment spam. Learn more

Blog authors will not see word verification for comments.


This is where you will want to change your comment settings so everyone can leave a comment:

Comment Form Placement

Full page
Pop-up window

Embedded below post

The embedded comment form can not be used if you have Post Pages disabled.

Erika suggest the pop-up window or full page. I used the pop up window and now some bloggers that were not able to leave comments can do so!! Yay!!

Now I am off to read more blogs, if it is well written and it is obvious that they took a great deal of time to research, and to find images to explain what they are writing about, I feel as a fellow blogger that I should let them know!!! If you would like to read a couple of new blogs that I absolutely love go and visit:


Georgia Pond written by Melinda from Australia. I love her design aesthetic and I think you will too!!

AND

Mix and Chic written by darling Jessie, who has a great eye for design, and her post are a fun read.

And one more:

Conspicuous Style written by the talented Stacy. She has a wonderful design aesthetic and I have found that she and I have many like's in common. Especially our love for Sarah Richardson's designs.

Enjoying The Process Of :

Reading blogs and leaving comments!!

Kathysue

KISS- Keep It Super Simple!!!

Keep It Super Simple is a good motto when it comes to planting flowers in your yard.

Have you ever noticed when you go to places like Disneyland how spectacular the plantings are? One thing I have noticed that  makes them seem so spectacular is they do plantings in mass. All of one color or a tight color scheme using only two to three colors. K-I-S-S, keeping it super simple.

This weekend I planted some flowers in the  three pots on the front porch. I have one plant that is permanent that I work around. It is a dwarf lime cypress. I love the bright lime color of this plant and it looks great with so many colors.

I look around at nature, home design and even wardrobes for color inspiration. If you look there is inspiration everywhere.

This time I chose to pair my lime cypress with purple. I love the way lime and purple contrast with each other.

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Even Nature likes this pairing.

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A beautiful brides bouquet in shades of lime and purples.

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Notice how simple and tight I kept the color scheme?

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This pot has two types of potato vines. One in lime and the other is a very dark purple.

I love fresh produce in bowls on my counter. The dark purple of the blueberries makes a nice contrast with the lime green stripes in my wallpaper, and the stripes in the pitcher.

This black cast iron planter hangs on the right side of my door. I planted it with the same plantings that are in the the other planter on the left side of the door. You can see by Keeping- It- Super- Simple each plant is highlighted and yet it all pairs nicely together.


Next time you go to the nursery for some new plants. Look around at your surroundings for some color inspiration.  Remember KISS!!! and you can’t go wrong.

“Enjoy the Process” Of:

Planting Fresh and Fun Color schemes in your yard.

Kathysue

Small Entry Solutions

In writing the last couple of post about Entry/Foyers and welcoming signs for our guest I came to realize that not all people will have an entry hall or foyer in there home. If they do have an entry it might be very small.


I thought it would only be fair to do a post on small entry halls, or no entry at all, and what to do with them.


I went looking through my files, and online, I think I found a pretty good line-up of examples of ways to deal with small spaces.


This is a very small corner and yet the homeowner has used every inch of space. We have light, flowers, mirror and even an umbrella stand. Each piece makes a wonderful statement and the two urns underneath the console table are gorgeous.

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Another very small area, and yet it has all the components of a good entry. I think the mirror could be a bit larger. 

Wallpaper

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Adding wallpaper to the walls in an entry can make it feel separate from the other areas. If it is a shared wall to your living room, use molding to divide the space by putting a border  of molding around the wallpaper in the form of a panel.

Statement Art/Pieces

Using statement artwork can make a small entry to be a stand-out!!

Here they have used some great statement pieces. The artwork is nice and large, and unusual. The zebra rug makes it’s own statement. There is a place to sit in a small chair and even ambient light from a candle with real cherries for a pop of color and life.

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The homeowner has chosen to use their very narrow entry as a gallery wall for family photos. What makes this work so well is the large matting that has been used and notice how closely they are hung together. This makes it seem like one large piece of art and keeps the eye flowing gently.

Reflection

Although this entry is obviously large it is showing a concept that I think any entry can use. The over scaled floor mirror. Of course you would have to use a mirror that would fit on your wall, but think of using a floor mirror to open up the space and place a narrow console table in front to place a vignette.

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 I love the above image. It uses the floor mirror in back of a clear lucite table. Since the table is clear it does not take up any visual space. Keep that in mind for small space decorating. Use an open legged piece that you can see under to keep it more open. You can see it also allows a place for a very small stool to sit on to remove your shoes if need be.

A very small wall that makes a, "Wow" statement. The homeowner has chosen to incorporate the mirror into the wall treatment with moldings. This could be a great way to make an entry when there really isn’t one. I love everything about this entry. It shows small can look Grande!!

Speaking of mirrors how about an actual mirrored piece of furniture. If you notice all of our entries have fresh flowers or fruit. There is also a source of ambient light with candles or lamps.

Things that Inspire blog

A small wall and it is beautifully appointed.

The Practical side of things......

Crate and Barrel Paterson bench

If your entry needs to be more practical choose a unit like this. It offers a mirror,storage and a place to sit in a very small area.

 Crate and Barrel Addison bench

This is another image that shows a very interesting and useful element. Notice how the mirror and the chair railing are a ledge that items can be placed on. This is a very practical entry utilizing a great storage piece and useful mirror.

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This idea is for my friend Erica at Tiptoe Butterfly blog. She wanted a solution for shoe storage. I think this is a great piece from Ikea for a practical and very useful storage piece that takes very little space. Notice the hooks on the wall for purses, backpacks etc. Very practical indeed!

Carve out Space.......

 I love the way they created a niche to sit in. It is almost like a little hideaway.

  This homeowner borrowed some space between the studs in the wall to make a little alcove and added a ledge. This is a great idea. I would have mirrored the alcove to really open up the space.  A great way to carve out some extra space.

 Statement floors or rugs......

Another way to make an entry when you don’t actually have a designated space is to add a statement rug to delineate the area.

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Very small area with everything you would need. The fun striped rug gives the area more importance and life.

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I have shown you formal, practical and casual all done in a small space.


In all of the above spaces there were certain elements and issues addressed. Try to keep in mind:

• Lighting: over head and ambient in the form of candles or lamps on dimmers.
• Mirrors for viewing and for opening up the space. Big is better in this situation.
• Separate the area with the use of moldings or a piece of furniture.
• Use a live plant, flowers or fruit to bring life and color to the space.
• A large piece of artwork or an unusual piece of furniture to make a statement.
• A statement rug to delineate the area.
• Something for storage if you need to be practical. A piece to hold shoes, keys, mail etc.

With all this information I hope it has opened your decorating mind to new possibilities for you very own small entry hall.

"Enjoy the Process" Of:

Looking at your Entry/Foyer with new possibilities.

Kathysue