This time last month, I was obsessed with my Klout, tweeting more and more often and watching the @ replies and retweets roll in. I don’t have as many followers as some people of course, but I was actively trying to engage with my followers, join in conversations, laugh and possibly wear my fingertips out touch typing.

And then, I went to Blogopolis and spent more time talking with real people than tweeting. I took notes with a pen and paper instead of twittering and I talked and engaged offline.

But hey! That’s great, you might be saying. Connecting offline is important!

Well, yes. And connecting offline was so much fun, that when it came time to go home and I sat in front of twitter, slightly depressed and more than a little tired, I didn’t know what to say.

So I clicked away and didn’t tweet. What use were mundane updates like “just ate eggs. yay me” and “can someone PLEASE stop my children screaming” when it was so much easier to talk to people instead of tweeting at them?

Once I’d been neglecting twitter for a week, it became even harder to get back into the habit of sharing snippets. Twitter is like a secret language that you have to speak every day, otherwise you forget how to do it.

I was logging on and noticing that my stream was less random snippets and updates and more back and forwards conversations. It can be daunting, if you’ve not been involved in any of the conversations for a while, to break back into them.

Before this, I had heard people complaining about twitter and the “noise”, or saying that after taking a break, they just didn’t see the point of it anymore. I didn’t understand how they could feel that way because DUDE, It’s TWITTER and twitter is AWESOME and EASY and JUST TALK ALREADY.

But once I’d taken a break too, I understood how they felt. Once you’re out of the habit, it can be hard to just dive back into sharing.

Has this happened to you?

I found some things helped me, as I slowly crept back into the shallow end of the twitter pool and sat there for a while.

Just read what people are saying.

Add to the conversation if you like, but it’s okay to just “tweavesdrop”. If people didn’t want you reading, they would go private, or move to DMs and emails. It’s fine to just watch.

Slowly tweet some stuff that makes you smile, or makes you happy.

It doesn’t have to be about how many @ replies you get, or if people are retweeting you. Maybe just aim to amuse yourself for a bit.

Tweet links to other people’s blog posts.

Everyone loves a sharer and I found tweeting links to other posts, an easy way to join back in with the community.

Remember, it’s okay to take a break and come back later.

It’s all feeling a bit much? Go away for a bit. Ignore it. The world won’t end if your klout score drops a little, or if you don’t speak to some people for a couple of days. I promise the Internet will get along just fine without you and if you’re feeling like it’s all too much, maybe a break is what you need.

How about you? Has this happened to you, with any of your social media platforms? How did you overcome it?

Today’s post comes from Deb, who blogs at cialis levitra pharmacy viagra Science@Home.

***

What do you give your readers?

Sounds weird. It’s just another way of approaching the perpetual blogging question of

’Why should your readers choose you?’

Your elevator pitch, your voice, your story, your authentic self – these are all different approaches to help you work out what it is that makes your blog tick and your readers come back. In other words:

In what area are you the go-to gal?

This is easier to answer for those of us who have information or practical blogs. I’m the viagra on line kids science person with a dash of sildenafil e cardura education. The Planning Queen is ‘cheap viagra pills online without prescription Wow, how do you fit it all in?’ Stuff With Thing is best buy cialis living with children with autism.

But it can be done by personal bloggers too – are you hilarious? Do you live in the country and people enjoy hearing about your different lifestyle? Do you take gorgeous photos? Are you a beautiful, lyrical writer? Are you up on all the latest gadgets? Do you inspire sympathy, empathy, sighs or fascination? Why do people come back to you?

If you have repeat readers who aren’t related to you then there is a reason, you could even do something radical like ask them what it is.

Are you giving it to them?

Once you have worked out what your readers are there for, turn the question around and ask yourself – are you giving it to them?

Well naturally. I mean I write about kids doing science four times a week!  What more could my readers ask for?

Quite a bit, actually. I have bookmarks full of quirky, sciencey things. I like nothing more than to click around my favourite science blogs, YouTube and Twitter and find time lapse photography of flowers, or turtle embryos, or camouflaged octopuses, or the time of the next meteor shower. This is fun. And if I think so, chances are my readers think so too – after all, they follow me for the fun science.

So I’ve started sharing things. Not just re-tweeting, but actively looking for links to share on both Twitter and Facebook. Commenting on my fanpage when one of my kids does something that makes me think ‘Hey, that’s science!’ Remembering to use Google + whenever I can. Adding more videos to my posts. I’m giving my followers more of what they follow me for.

Links are a nice easy way of adding value for your readers while being fun for you and not much more work – hopefully these are things you look for and click through yourself.

Crafty people – do you share your suppliers? Your favourite patterns? The place you got that fabulous camera?

Funny people – how about the YouTube clips that have made you laugh? Or a ridiculous sign?

Homemakers – I’m sure we all have favourite tips, even the completely non-domestic like me have flashes of brilliance.

And so it goes. Your readers love you, otherwise they wouldn’t read you. Be confident in that and give them more of what they love you for. They might even love you more for it.

—

Deb writes about prezzo tadalafil generico kids having fun doing science and rants about tadalafil prices education, but for the zombie octopus link you need to see her on generic viagra sildenafil Facebook or mac faster mouse Twitter.

When I first learned to read, I was drawn to stories. It didn’t matter if they were fictional or factual – I cared just as much about Solarstone - Spectrum (incl. Duderstadt Remix) (2008) [Trance] Pussy Willow, as I did about the lady who was bitten by a wolf spider and watched her hand slowly rot.

I was a strange child, caught up in a world of imagination. Reality didn’t hold much appeal for me and a friend and I developed an obsession with the knots in wood, calling them “eyes” and assigning them powers, some good, some evil.

Years later, I find myself still looking at knots in wood and imagining what latent powers they might have. I didn’t exactly grow out of my oddness, I just worked out how to make it slightly more socially acceptable.

I’ve been blogging for over four years now, I’ve watched the rise of the US Mommyblogosphere and slowly found myself surrounded by Australian bloggers and brands who want to work with them. I’ve been Noam Chomsky - Prospects For Democracy invited to events and I seem to have readers who are loyal to my writing and who want to read my stories.

I can’t quite work out why – at the heart of it, I am still a gawky misfit kid who doesn’t want to be part of the popular crowd, but doesn’t know how to want anything different.

People ask me what I do and sometimes, I will say that I’m a blogger and that I write on the Internet. Other times, depending on the company I am keeping, I say that I am a writer.

Of course, regardless of what I say, people want to know what I write and it was with this that I struggled. “I write about parenting on the Internet” doesn’t quite explain what I do, nor does “I talk about my life and kids.”

Blogging is so much MORE than that. It isn’t just parenting, or life, or meta-blogging. It is everything and nothing, all at once.

Blogging is storytelling.

Hundreds of years ago, stories were passed from grandparent to grandchild, being told down through the generations. People have always been drawn to stories and the messages they contain. Messages of connection, of learning, of community, of humanity.

We lost the storytelling a little bit, I think in part because books became affordable for everyone. Not a bad thing by any means, but did you ever wonder how myths survived for so many thousands of years? Mouth to ear storytelling. Once upon a time, myths would have been a true story, told at the fires on a winter night.

We are the story tellers of today, with our blogs and our community. We are writers, every one of us and we tell our stories to the world, demanding that someone (anyone) listen to us. We are powerful in this.

***

Tips for storytelling on a blog:

Write each post as an individual story.

Each blog post should stand alone. Of course you can link back to old posts and encourage people to click on them, but if we fall into the habit of always assuming that our readers have been reading since the beginning, then sometimes the best bits are lost.

Not every person who reads your post is going to be a regular reader.

New readers aren’t going to want to trawl through the last 50 blog posts to work out what on earth you’re talking about.

Ask yourself: If I was telling this story to my friends, how would I do that?

Then write it that way.

The best bloggers are story tellers, who keep me coming back for the next installment.

I want to know what happens to you, so do me a favour and tell me. You ARE interesting and I DO care. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that no one cares. Everything has the potential to be a story, if you think about it.

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Today’s post comes from Becky, of Becky and James.

***

On the 27^th of June James and I launched our review blog; Becky and James Do Reviews. There were a few reasons we decided to take the route of a separate blog as opposed to keeping reviews on the main blog, Becky and James;

Firstly, Being the wife of a rampant ‘researcher’ I soon saw the value in providing information for others out there who don’t buy anything without first being really, really well informed.

Secondly, I wanted the chance to review products which didn’t always fit within the confines of what I had created Becky and James to be.

Thirdly, taking the time to test and photograph product and then sharing my opinions made me feel like I was doing something and gave me a small sense of purpose outside of family life, which I desperately needed.

Since launching the site it has been a slow and steady slog. The dream, of course, is that it would be an instant success. The reality, obviously, is that it’s hard work to keep and maintain.

While there were questions about whether there would be enough product to warrant a separate blog purely geared towards reviews, I have not had a week where I haven’t posted at least one review and I have many (many) lined up. The hard part is getting it all organised.

Our current living arrangements don’t make for the easiest conditions to be working all this out, but we’re getting there.

My biggest concerns when moving reviews off my main site were; would brands want to be involved and would I get the traffic?

Thankfully, the brands and particularly the PR companies I work with have been very supportive of this move and the traffic has been steadily growing. As a blogger, I love return traffic – return traffic means readers, people I can build relationships with, so it’s been a learning curve to accept that generally, as a reviewer, I am getting traffic from specific searches rather than building a readership.

There has been some cross over and I am so thankful to my friends who have supported me through this who visit and comment on reviews and I have also discovered I have managed to catch a few readers who came for information about one product or another and have become readers over at the main blog.

While I do understand and accept that readership will be different, James and I are hoping to implement a little bit of interaction into the site via the ability to rate the products I review. We’re looking for a WordPress plugin which will enable me to give a rating (such as so many stars out of 5) and then readers can come along and register their own rating for a more complete overview.

As well as the rating system, I have started photo albums on our facebook page showing some of the products I am currently trialing and products I am maybe not able to write a full review of but would like to share a few thoughts. With these albums, I hope to bring in questions people may want answered in a review or their own thoughts on their experiences and through this create a community.

We are still learning, building, growing and finding our path, but the fact that we haven’t fallen flat on our face is a good start and I am enjoying the challenges that come my way.

***

Becky is a busy SAHM to three little Munchkins; Ellie, Kahlei and Jasper. She is currently concentrating on doing her bit to remove the stigma surrounding Post Natal Depression on her blog Becky and James | Living Life with Purpose and Passion and can also be found on Facebook, Twitter. She also reviews products at Becky and James Do Reviews, come share your thoughts and questions on Facebook and Twitter.

Edited to add: Links to Becky and James have been removed due to a virus on her blog. We’re aiming to protect you and make Becky feel less guilty. Follow her on twitter instead.

What do you do if you are asked to review a product and it’s not good? Do you publish the review anyway or leave it, and how do you approach the brand or PR rep?

This is a question that popped up on Twitter this morning so I thought I would take a few moments to share my perspective on it.

It’s a good idea to write balanced reviews – if you don’t like something about a product then it’s Ok to say that, in fact, it’s important to say it. If I read your blog and buy something because you recommended it but you failed to mention something bad about it, that is going to impact the way I read any other reviews you write. As bloggers and brands work together more regularly keeping your integrity in tact is even more important than ever.

With product reviews, as with everything else you publish, think about your reader when you write it and write for them, not the brand.

But what if there’s nothing good to say about a product?

There are no rules about this, but as I see it there are pretty much three options available:

1. Write the review anyway.

2. Don’t write the review.

3. Get in touch with the brand/PR rep and let them know that the review isn’t going to be favourable, let them know why and ask if they would still like you to publish it.

I’m not going to tell you what I would do because I haven’t needed to make this choice as yet, so I’m handing over to you…What would you do? Have you been in this situation, what did you do and how did it turn out? Would love you to share your experience in the comments.

Today’s post comes from Sass, who designed Mummble for us.

***

When I was asked to do the redesign for Mummble I was so excited. Louisa and Veronica are brilliant and we are so lucky to have them in the Australian blogosphere. So you can imagine my excitement when the ladies asked me to write a guest post on Blog Design dos and don’ts.

As a blog designer I have a couple of rules that I stick to when I’m putting a design together. I’m here to share a couple of my secrets with you.

Your blog is an extension of yourself. It needs to be inviting and appealing so people are encouraged to return.

Make your content area as clean and uncluttered as you can.

Try to stay away from having a dark posting area background and white text. The same goes for really busy and loud backgrounds. It’s incredibly hard to read when the font is the wrong colour or you have something that distracts the eye from your content. You will find a lot of people won’t stay on a site that has these features. You want to encourage people to stay on your blog. They won’t read how awesome you are if they can’t read the content because of your design!

Stick to colours that are pleasing to the eye, move away from any busy patterns or fluro colours. Fluro green might be your favourite colour but no one can see properly when his or her eyes are being burnt!

Fonts are really important.

Comic Sans should never ever ever be used on your blog. NEVER EVER.

Stick to only two fonts with your content or it will look like you’ve just clicked anything that came up and the results won’t be great. Again, think hard about the colour of your posting font. Stick with dark grey or black. Your headers and page titles can be a little more interesting.

Html isn’t the easiest thing in the world to learn.

It can be frustrating and confusing and that’s coming from a designer who has dedicated herself to html and css design.

If you are going to be brave and try to edit the html make sure you back the design up FIRST. I cannot tell you the amount of customers I have had that have come to me because they’ve changed something and they don’t know how to fix it.

There are hundreds of sites where you can download pre-made blog templates and you will also find that some blog designers also offer a couple of free designs or cheaper pre-made designs.

These are awesome and if you don’t want to spend much money on your blog but want a clean, polished and professional look.

Header and sidebars.

If you write a blog about food it’s generally best not to have a header with a cat and a dog in a park. Keep your design to what you write about. You won’t ever see a finance blog with a picture of a cake in the header.

If you are looking to advertise on your blog you need to be know that there is a big possibility that businesses will look at your blog.

Be aware of your sidebar width. Don’t let your sidebar widgets hang off the edge of your blog. It looks messy and unprofessional.

Make your email address easily accessible and close to the top of your page. Same for twitter and facebook if you have them.

If you decide to have someone do your blog design be as detailed as you like. Take your vision that you have and write it out! Don’t be scared to tell the designer that you don’t like what they have made. Sometimes I can make up 5 different designs! Not because my designs are horrible (I’m pretty awesome) but because the client has an idea of what they want and it’s not being communicated.
Send links of blogs or websites that you love, swatches of colours that you are in love with. It will make the process so much smoother and lots of fun to see your design being put into action.

Another thing…
If you pay for someone to design your blog, you will generally enter into an agreement with the designer. It will either be in their terms and conditions, or even a disclaimer in the html coding of your blog.

That agreement is that you are not allowed to alter their design in anyway.
That means that if you decide you want a new header but you want to keep everything else that they have designed, you are breaching their terms and conditions and the designer has the right to request you to remove the design template.
The same goes if you decide to change the background, how your layout looks but you keep the header, or even a design element from the header.
Generally if you contact the designer and ask them they will be fine, but always ask permission before you make any changes.

And lastly, have fun!
Bring your personality into the design and don’t be afraid to have a go.
You might surprise yourself with an awesome cool blog design.

Some awesome resources are:
www.moozoodesigns.com -That’s me!
www.makincuteblogs.com – This site is awesome for those wanting to DIY!
www.colorlovers.com – Fabulous to make your own backgrounds.
www.puglypixel.com -for some of the cutest elements ever.

Incoming search terms:

• blog dos and donts
• blogs dos and dont

When I first started blogging, I read Darren Rowse at Problogger religiously, picking and choosing from the information he shared, to work out what was best for me.

As a personal blogger, some of his posts weren’t relevant, but as a blogger in general, even more of his posts were.

At Nuffnang’s Blogopolis, I was lucky enough to hear Darren Rowse speak. There is really no secret to why his blogs are so popular, when he himself seems to have a knack for presenting information in a way that is understandable and useful for every blogger.

I took notes through his entire session, just so that I could come home and share some parts that I connected with. My responses underneath.

- There is no blueprint for success.

Exactly. There isn’t. No one can say why one blogger is highly trafficked and another is looked over. There are things you can do to increase your chances of being successful in this field, but no guaranteed “Do this and money will follow” script. Total shame that.

- Quality is key.

I won’t read a blog consistently if there isn’t a quality of writing and information there to begin with. I read every blog in my reader for different reasons, but they’re all there because the person writing it is telling me something I care to hear about, in a way that doesn’t make me want to bleach my eyeballs.

- Experiment and tweak.

I found this point truly interesting, as I’ve heard a few “how to blog” bloggers say the exact opposite. That you should work out what your readers like and keep doing that. For me, that sounds like a quick path to stagnation and I was really pleased to hear Darren say that experimenting with your posts and tweaking your theme and topics are things we should be doing.

- A small group of raving fans is better than a large amount of traffic who don’t care.

THIS. This I agreed with so strongly that I may have large amounts of dots and stabbed marks on my notes. THIS is what I would like brands to pay attention too. I would prefer to have 200 readers who are wholly invested in my blog and love what I am doing, rather than 20,000 who don’t really care. I write for the people who love what I do. They’re the audience I want.

- Look after your current readers.

Darren said that sometimes, bloggers get so lost in trying to increase their traffic (traffic being the holy grail of blogging) that they forget to take care of the readers they have already. I think this is true. Sometimes I start to take my readers for granted and then I have to remind myself that no, they’re under no obligation to stick around, so I better make sure they’re happy.

- And finally: Content is key. People will share your blog for its content, not the logo.

Which again, I found resonated with me. We get lost in having the perfect design and the most memorable logo or header, that sometimes we can lose the point that people are reading for the content. Your header and logo are just gravy.

 {photo credit and thanks to Danimezza}

This post comes from Kellie, of Three Lil Princesses.

***

THIS week The Mummble gave five reasons why attending a blogging conference will help your blog. However, sometimes – for whatever reason – you just can’t attend the conference. For me, the thought of juggling a breastfeeding baby while trying to take in a full day of bloggy education at Blogopolis this month was just too much.

However, that’s not to say I missed out. In fact, during the Aussie Bloggers Conference in March, when there were numerous sessions happening at once, I had the benefit of being able to eavesdrop on all sessions at one time. How? Twitter.

Here is how I was still able to benefit from blogging conferences without being there:

Follow the official conference hashtag

Most blogging conferences, brunches and events have an official hashtag you can follow on Twitter. If you’re using something like Tweetdeck, you can set up a column for that hashtag to make the feed easier to follow. This is a chance to make your own notes or retweet the information that most appeals to you. And just because you’re at home, doesn’t mean you can’t put forward a question to the presenter via Twitter.  Or send support across the waters, as per with Aussie bloggers at BlogHer in the US.

Take part in a “not at the conference” Twitter party

There is always someone else who couldn’t make the event as well. Again, using a hashtag in Twitter, you can join with other non-conference bloggers to share ideas, experience and knowledge. For example, for Blogopolis a #NoNNB (No Nuffnang Blogopolis) hashtag was created. The bloggers who were involved shared an incredible amount of knowledge that was highly relevant to those participating. It was also a wonderful networking opportunity – if not also a bit of a laugh!

Find out about any live blogging taking place

It’s wise to find out if there is any live blogging taking place for more detailed notes from the conference. You can find this out by searching the official conference hashtag or putting out a tweet with the question. Usually live blog posts are uploaded minutes after the session is complete, so you’re able to get all the information in one hit.  This is ideal if you don’t have time to sit and watch the Twitter feed.

Read blog posts in the aftermath of the conference

Every blogger will take away something different from a conference. This is where searching out bloggers’ posts after the conference can give you a well rounded idea of what bloggers learnt. While the information in one post may not appeal to you, another will.

What are your tips for when you can’t attend a bloggers conference or event?

**

Kellie O’Brien is a journalist, funny mummy blogger at Three Lil Princesses , mum to Princesses Ella and Holly and a lil princess herself, at just 150cms. OK, so that’s being a tad generous. As a breastfeeding mum she misses chocolate, wine and sleep. You can find her often on Facebook and far too regularly on Twitter.

This post comes from the ever lovely Kate at Picklebums.

**

Using beautiful, interesting photos in your blog post can attract the eye of a reader, break up large expanses of text, help to tell a story or convey information and is an important tool when crafting fabulous posts. Using your own photos not only gives a unique and personal touch to your posts, you can also tailor the image to really match your content.

Not all of us have a talent for photography, and not all of us have a fancy, top of the range, DSLR camera, but you don’t need either of these things to make your own photos look great on your blog. I am far from a professional photographer but here are a few tips and tricks I use when putting my own photos on my blog, Picklebums.

Taking the Photos.

Even a point and shoot camera, or your smart phone can take great blog photos if you use them wisely.

Get In Close – If you are taking a photo of a person or an object to illustrate a main topic or point then get in close, really close. You don’t need any of the surrounding background or objects, take a step forward and fill all of your frame with your main subject.

Use Natural Light – Lighting can be difficult to master (I struggle with this a lot) but using natural light is far better than using your standard tiny flash. The best light is filtered natural light, the kind you get on a cloudy but bright day. Set up subjects in front of a window, or outside if you can.

Take Lots of Photos! – The joy of digital photography is that you can afford to take lots and lots and LOTS of photos. To get one really good shot you might need to take 30 not so great ones. Often the image that looks perfect to me on the tiny camera screen turns out to be not so perfect when I get it up on the big screen. So take more photos than you think you’ll need.

Editing Your Photos

You don’t need to own fancy photo editing software or do lots of fancy editing, just one or two simple adjustments can make a big difference. You can do all of the following editing suggestions using photoshop, photoshop elements, photoshop express (free online editing), gimp (free downloaded software), picnik (free online editing), Aviary (free online editing) and many other tools.

Crop – If you didn’t manage to get in close when you took the photo, or if there is something in the frame that you’d rather not share, crop your images to really focus on the subject.

Light Balance – Often your camera’s automatic light balance will need a little tweaking after the image has been taken. To really make your photo ‘pop’ play with the levels/exposure to make your whites whiter and your blacks blacker.

Fix Any Problems – Edit out any major problems in your photo. Things like removing red eye and correcting colour casts are easy to do automatically with most editing software. You can get more complex and clone out any offending boogers or even blur a cluttered background to bring the focus back to your subject.

Save For Web

It is important that you optimise your photos for uploading to the web. Images that are too big in either size or resolution can slow the loading of your blog and frustrate readers.

Re-size – It is best to re-size your images to the exact size you want them to appear on your blog. How wide is the content area of your blog? Re-size your photos using your photo editing software so that they fit into the content area of your blog without spilling over or being too small and getting lost.

Save For Web – Use your photo editing software to save your image in a format and at a resolution that is optimised for web viewing. The most common format for photos is jpg and a jpg compression size of about 8 is usually good, but play around with the settings to get your photos as small a file size as possible without loosing quality.

Name Your Image – It’s a good idea to give your image a meaningful name when you save it. It helps you to find it later, and will help with SEO. Use a dash (-) to separate words in file names for the best SEO

Getting Your Photo onto Your Blog.

Each blogging platform and theme uploads and displays photos a little differently, but the following tips are useful regardless of whether you use wordpress, blogger or other blogging software.

Original Size – You have already resized your image to make it the perfect size for your blog, so now you need to make sure you check the ‘original size’ option when you upload it. Using the size options on your blog to shrink a larger image will use up your bandwidth (and your reader’s) and make your blog slower to load.

Use the ‘Alt’ Field – The ‘Alt’ tag (alt=" ") is the text that is displayed if, for any reason, your image can’t be shown. It also helps your image rank in search engines. Self hosted wordpress bloggers get an option to fill this in when they upload a photo – use it! If you use photobucket to store your photos you also have an option to fill it in. If you use blogger you will have to manually add them – it looks like this alt="put photo description here" and you can put it anywhere inside your image’s html tags. Lauren Wayne has a good explanation and example of adding alt tags here.

Where Should It Go? - An image at the top of your posts works well to entice people to read your content. It is usually more pleasing for a reader to see a stand alone image centred within your content. Images which are embedded within content usually work well if they are smaller and left justified. But play around with all the options until you find something that suits your own person style and content.

Style Your Image – Look at what options your blog theme has for adding frames, shadows or other styles to your images and decide if you want to use them. Adding a caption is another way to add style and interest to your images.

Protecting Your Photos

Many people are worried about having their photos ‘stolen’ or shared. There is no fail-safe way to stop images or content being used without your permission, so be aware of this when you choose what photos you use on your blog.

Copyright – Add a copyright notice to your blog so that readers know what is ok when it comes to using and sharing your work. A Creative Commons licence is clear understandable way to make sure people know what is and isn’t ok.

Watermark Your Images – Add a simple, transparent ‘©picklebums.com’ (use dark text and the soft light or overlay blend mode to make unobtrusive transparent text) to your images. Or add a small logo to the corner of your images which also helps with branding when your images are shown on other sites like pinterest etc.

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Kate is an ex-preschool teacher, mother of four, lapsed digital scrap booker, and secret blog designer. Living on ten acres of weeds in rural Victoria you’ll find posts about parenting, family cooking, gardening, activities for kids and printables at her blog Picklebums.