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We’ve just finished a flurry of activity. The end of the school year and beginning of summer always cause a hectic week or two.

This was DS’s “I finished 6th grade, I’m going to Disneyland” trip as well as a delayed birthday celebration for him. On the left we had a group picture when we first entered the park but neither one of the boys looked at all happy to be at Disneyland. On the left a few hours later when they piloted the Mark Twain I did get them to smile and look like they were having fun.

If you want to read my Disneyland tips I’m now publishing them on my personal and family blog here. Now that I’m getting the hang of this blogging business it is time for me to pick a central theme here (within scrapbooking) and start to narrow my focus. Look for more photos, more projects, more teaching, more Wilhelm Wednesdays and lots of blogtipping.

I’ll leave you now with some insight to my work environment. Here you see one of my faxing and copying assistants.

As you can see she takes her job very seriously.

What do you do when you find a blog that you truly love?

1) Bookmark it in your browser. Place it on your list of favorite blogs. You may find you need to have sub-topics for different types of blogs you read and enjoy.
2) Link to it from your blog and/ or your website. Use the Permalink feature for the link if there is a spcific post that you want to refer people to.
3) Feature sites you like on a Blogtipping entry the first day of the month. For more information read http://www.businessblogwire.com/2006/05/update_first_blogtipping_day_a.html Pick 3 sites and explain why you like them.
4) Share the blog with friends by emailing a link to people who share the same interests you do. Be sure to mention specifically why you are recommending the blog.
5) Contact the Blogger. Let them know exactly what you liked about their blog. If you have interests in common mention that and be sure to include a link to your blog. (This is a good time to check, do you have an email link on your blog?)

6) Last but not least Leave a comment!!!  You might have to take a minute to register but leave a comment and let the blogger know that you read their entry. Let them know that they shared valuable information. Let them know that you liked their page or project. The thing that separates a blog from a web page is the interactive potential of blogs. Be sure to take advantage of that feature.

Blogging can propel a viral spread of of ideas to others that grows and takes on a rich full life in just a very short spanse of time.Spreading appreciation for the blogs you enjoy helps carry the viral spread to new people to witness the beauty of the blog you found.

I was so glad to read that Business Blogwire is going to have a monthly Blogtipping day the first of every month. Read more details here

The object is to share 3 blogs you like and explain why you like the blogs. Last month I started out with 3 non-scrapbooking blogs because there are so DARN many great scrapbooking blogs that it is hard to choose just three. This month I’ll face the challenge and do the first of what I’m sure will be many blogtipping entries on scrapbooking blogs.

 A Life - Unrehearsed by Bonnie Rose in Minnesota. I’m one of those people who go through life seeing how similar we all are instead of see how many differences I can find. Somehow the ways we are similar comforts me and makes me feel a kinship with people. Bonnie is one of those people. Even though she is over half-way across the United States she is a scrapbooker with a love for color and design. She posts beautiful photos of her life, her scrapbooking, flowers, her travels and her everyday life. Her joy in life comes through her blog pages when I read the blog. It is sort of like having a chapter left to read in your favorite book everyday and it never ends. Thanks Bonnie for the great blog and your challenges at 2Peas. PS- don’t forget to check out Bonnie’s photo gallery!
Scrappy Marketing Solutions Blog by Angie Pedersen. Again the reason this is one of my favorite blogs (well I like all of Angie’s blogs) is that Angie have so much common background and experience in the scrapbooking industry. However, she has a real talent for free-lancing and writing that I aspire to gain. She has strengths and knowledge that are complimentary to mine but different. Her blog entries contain valuable information on marketing through blogs which is a new area for me. Angie has a very enjoyable style of writing that make me want to come back and read her blogs. There are other business blogs that have valuable information but I don’t rush back and read them very often because they lack something- a pleasant writing style.

Creative Collage by Kelly Anguard is a wonderful art blog with regular challenges. Another scrapper with whom I share common ground Kelly is WILDLY creative but somehow she manages to convey that she fights the same demons and obstacles to her creativity that I do. You gotta LOVE someone who can make your demons seem normal and manageable, don’t you? Be sure to explore Kelli’s blog and the many techniques she explains. If you like her techniques then click on over to Amazon and buy her book. That’s what I did and her book sits on my scrapbooking desk within arm’s reach so I can browse through it over and over again. Each time I read the book I find something new that I didn’t catch the last time. Even though some of these techniques are things I have tried over the years (there’s that common thread again) Kelly seems to have a different way of doing similar techniques which has made trying her techniques very enjoyable.

Well, I did it. It wasn’t that hard either. I know July 1 I get to pick 3 more of my favorite blogs and keep working my way down my long list of favorites.