Between the Lines blog series week 8-

Welcome to the new week of “Between the Lines”, the blog series where I introduce bloggers age 50 and older that you should be following! Blog land is celebrating the Between the Lines Series too. I invite you to join us  at the Between the Lines community HERE. Next week is the last of the Between the Lines series then I will answer questions submitted to me by all of the Between the Lines bloggers. Are you ready to meet some more fabulous bloggers of a certain age?

Meet Diana blogger at Adirondack Girl at Heart. She  is such a sweetie and if you don’t know her yet it will only take a moment to realize she writes a blog you will want to visit often. Her posts are mostly about how she makes her house a home and through her posts she will take you shopping for vintage treasures and antiques that will make you as excited as she is about her finds.

I asked-What is your average advertising budget for a month?
At this point in time, Adirondack Girl at Heart has no official advertising budget(!). Right from the beginning, my blog has been a bit of a shoe-string affair. With two teenagers in the house and one income (my husband’s), I haven’t had much to invest in it other than my time. I run one or two giveaways a year with prizes that I purchase at vintage sales for a minimal amount, so postage is my only real cost. Even my business cards I print on old manila file folders because I like the vintage-y look. If you’re getting the feeling that I’m pretty frugal, then you’re absolutely right. Recently, I have begun to earn income via my Vintage Blog Shop, and I’m looking into some advertising options. Trading sidebar ads with some other bloggers who have shops and buying a sidebar ad from another vintage blogger are two ideas that I’m considering.

What was the last item you lost and did you ever find it? The last thing I lost was a pair of 14K gold earrings that someone ordered from my Vintage Blog Shop. I searched my house high and low for them but never did find them. The gal who ordered the earrings, Terry, was so amazingly sweet about it, she even went so far as to say that if I ever find them to let her know, she’d still be interested. I am blessed with some of the most amazing reader/followers. Terry turned something very embarrassing [for me], into a life lesson–always be ready to forgive and be willing to go the extra mile. Terry, if you’re reading this, you’re a sweetheart!

Meet Dawn blogger at Fashion Should Be Fun. Dawn has grace and style. She shares fun fashion tips and wonderful places to shop. She is a lovely blogger and will have you wanting to dress up your wardrobe a bit too.

I asked-Fill in the blank: blog visits increase when _____To be honest, this is still a bit of a mystery to me. Being part of things like this Between the Lines series seems to attract new readers. For me the biggest factor seems to be posting consistently over time. Every year I have more visits and visitors and it always amazes me and makes me grateful too! When I first started blogging I thought only a handful of friends would ever read what I wrote.

Sandals or flip flops? Well, pretty sandals would be my favorite. I love sandals with a sundress or maxi skirt. But there is just something so summery about slipping on some flip flops. I think they remind me of summertime as a kid in the 70’s, wearing rubber flip flips from Thrifty, walking to 7-11 for Slurpees, playing in the streets until dark! So, I guess … both!

Meet Brenda Coffee- After 10 breast cancer surgeries, eight rounds of chemotherapy and the death of two husbands, Brenda Coffee believes in Making Life Count, which is the tagline for her site, 1010 Park Place. In addition to her own BRENDA’S BLOG, 10 other writers, including 1980’s supermodel, Kim Alexis, and the founding appraiser of PBS’s Antiques Roadshow, Nick Dawes, write about everything from finance to fashion.

I asked-What are the blog topics on 1010 Park Place? All of our bloggers are in the over 45 demographic, so we understand women want honest, frank discussions with other women who’ve walked in their shoes. We’re interested in strong, smart women and how they see themselves, not just in the context of their families and their communities, but the world as a whole. Whether it’s sex and men, downsizing and gardening, or humorous pieces about why macaroni has a personality, we’re helping women redefine themselves at this stage of their lives.

What’s been the hardest part of starting a site with multiple bloggers? I’m pretty much a one-woman show. Everyone thinks I have lots of people behind the scenes and am well-funded, but other than my tech guru—I call on when I get stuck—and my “cardboard box money” I’ve saved for retirement, it’s just me. I’m investing in me, and taking a big chance that women will like 1010ParkPlace and tell their friends. It’s been exciting to bring other bloggers on board. They’re all amazing women who write with authenticity and heart. At least once a week, one of us writes a two-kleenex post.

 

Meet Sheila- Author, blogger,editor and book reviewer. She is a woman of faith and a published author. Her books are wonderful. She is not only a talented author, she also reviews books too. Stop by her blog and you are sure to find something fantastic to read.

I asked How many tags/keywords do I use for a post? When I started out, all nervous and “You know nothing Sheila Deeth,” I tried to think of every possible tag for each post. Reviewing a book by Fred Blogs – tag it book, book review, Fred, Fred Blogs, Book title, Book series title, book topic, main character’s name, age range, book rating, secondary book topic, etc, etc, etc. One day I even hit a limit that said “You can’t add more tags to this post.” My reasoning was I wanted everyone with the remotest interest to find my post, and I wanted to be able to find the post myself later.

Eventually I realized, no one was going to find my post because of tags. No one was going to find my post anyway because nobody knew me. And I could always find my own posts using the search button Blogger so generously provided. So I stopped worrying about tags and me, me, me, and started just enjoying the fun of hosting guests, reviewing books, and wandering around the blog-o-sphere finding other interesting people (like you, Katie!).

Now I use minimal tags – book reviews, obviously, when it’s a book review post. Guest post for guests. Spotlight or cover reveal. Maybe an occasional genre (because I’m trying to reinvent myself as somebody organized – there’s no hope!). I’d rather concentrate on enjoying putting up the post and inventing Tweets to advertise – much more fun than tags, since they give me 140 characters to come up with intriguing tag-lines. I shall plan to tweet this post as well of course, so maybe I should start thinking in 140-character strings… when I’ve got word open to guide me.

What are my hobbies? Well, writing in 140-character strings is probably one of my hobbies. Writing 100 word stories came before it, then 50 word ones, then 25 (drabbles, dribbles and drips). Reading and writing have always been hobbies of mine (over 200 book reviews in each of the last two years), and editing (because I love sculpting words), drawing (because I was that kid who doodled over everything in school), making books (formatting pages etc, but it takes so much time!), and definitely drinking coffee with friends while taking about writing and books in local coffee shops. Listening to other people’s music, but I never choose my own. Watching movies, my choices informed by having three sons. And traveling, especially if I don’t have to navigate or drive.

 

Meet Suzanne blogger at Adventures of Empty Nesters. She and her hubby will take you from the kitchen to the ok coral as they venture and explore wonderful places together. Hubby and I have been empty nesters for many years. So we love following along with her as she shares their memory making. One day we hope to be able to do it too.

I asked-How did you decide which blog service to use? WordPress was recommended to me by my web designer. I wanted to use something that was user friendly and could change with the times. I created the blog two years ago and we have redesigned it once already. You don’t really know what you like until you get started. I like the flexibility and reliability of WordPress.

I asked-When was the last time you watched a sunset? I try to watch the sunset wherever we go! It is my favorite part of the day. The challenge as a photographer is to catch it at just the right moment. I snap one photo and then another one minute later, and so on. Every time thinking that I captured the perfect shot. At times the sun goes down very quickly so you need to be prepared and camera ready! Of all of the sunsets in all of the world, I would say that a Maui sunset captures the vibrancy of the moment the best. Sitting by the edge of the Pacific Ocean with an adult beverage, watching the golden sunset is one of my greatest joys.

Meet Lisa blogger at Bloghetti, I have always loved her blogs title. Lisa and I have been bloggy friends for several years. She shares wonderful recipes you will surely want to add to your menu. She wears the foodie tag proudly and she gets a little crafty now and then too. Most of her recipes fit perfectly into the comfort food category. Just plain yummy, tasty, tummy filling goodness.

I asked- Do you sell anything on your blog? At this time, I don’t sell anything on the blog. Might be something to think about for the future though. I do have a monthly cookbook giveaway on the blog. I love to review cookbooks of any type and then share them with everyone. I feel it’s important to support the authors of the cookbooks and not just rely on the internet all of the time.

Cat person or dog person? Definitely a cat person! I’ve never owned a dog but have had cats all of my life. Recently, we had to say goodbye to one of our cats. Belle was nearly 20 years and was the queen of the house. We have one other cat, Fiona, and she truly fits the princess mold. Now, I do have two grand-dogs and along with Fiona, they all get spoiled!

It is a pleasure to highlight all of the lovely bloggers in the Between the Lines blog series.

Please get to know these fabulous bloggers and meet even more here every Tuesday for the next couple of weeks. At the end of the series all of the participants will be asking me questions!

Please send a little comment love their way too. Comments are like hugs for bloggers.

If you missed any of the bloggers of a certain age posts, you can catch up HERE

“BETWEEN THE LINES” a blog series created by Katherine from KatherinesCorner.com
June 14 FEATURED BLOGGERS AGE 50 PLUS
Please visit this weeks Featured Bloggers by clicking on each blog in the list below ♥

I hope to see you all back here tomorrow night ( 7 pm MST) you can start linking your blog early for the Thursday Favorite Things link party. Watch for the new giveaway post on Friday too.