Having a blog...it's not rocket science! A few things I've learned and still need to work on...

I started a family blog nearly 7 years ago when my youngest baby was just a few weeks old.
In my first post, I shared these pregnancy pictures that my husband'scousin Chad took when I was 32 weeks pregnant.

 
I started that blog to update out of state family and friends on the life and happenings of our growing family of five.
It didn't take long for me to *think* I knew what I was doing.
Several years later, one of my sorority sisters introduced me to a blog calledThe Long Thread.
I had no idea there were so many great free tutorials and ideas just floating around.To me a blog was just pictures of my family and little updates about our life.
Now that same sorority sister has an amazing blog called Our Wonderfilled Life.Michelle is an amazing mom of five boys!FIVE!Four of them share the same birthday.
Once I found craft blogs, I literally became addicted.I started getting my craft on after a very long hiatus.Being a stay at home mom with three little kids didn't allow much extra time to do my own thing.I was getting inspiration that got me excited about crafting and creating again. 
It wasn't long after that my family blog started getting taken over with crafts and projects that I was making.I decided in January 2010 that I would start my own craft blog and name it Holy Craft.A name that is explained here.
I don't think I realized how much work would be involved in blogging.  I guess I didn't think it would be that hard.
Boy, I had a lot to learn!I had no idea what a link up party was.I didn't know how to link backI didn't know how to embed codeI haven't the first clue how to do blog designFor the first year, I had no idea you could schedule a post
My pictures were a disaster (still something I struggle with)Sometimes I would work so hard on a project and be so excited about that project that I would just throw it up on the blog without realizing how important presentation is.
If there is one thing I have learned from blogging it's thatpresentation is everything
I still struggle with this very much.I don't know how to design my blogRight now, the design on my blog doesn't reflect my personalityI was fortunate to win a blog redesign in a giveaway a few years ago but currently it doesn't reflect my styleI'm super excited about a blog makeover next month.
I think I joined the blogging world just as a boom was happening.Some blogs that I was reading took off like a shot and left me disappointed that I wasn't receiving that type of following.
For some reason I never really felt like I was a real blogger until I hit 1000 followers.Maybe I read that somewhere.Or maybe it was just a personal goal to attain
I've been blogging for two years now and I still have a lot to learn
I feel like I am just now figuring out Picnik and making blog buttons, just when Picnik is going awayI was contacted by several people who wanted to follow my blog through e-mail and had no idea how to set that up.I went to install an RSS feed on my blog last week only to find that I already had one...with quite the following!
I haven't felt like my blog is at a point where I can accept sponsors yetI invest a lot of time into my blog and would love to be getting something more out of itbut first I want it to be a product I am pleased with.It's not there yet.
There are a few things that I do think I do right.
I respond to every.single.comment I receive(that is if you are not a noreply blogger-check out this tutorial on how to change it)
There are some other great BIG bloggers that are amazing at this and I want to give them a shout out.Most of these bloggers, I have followed since they started and it's been fun to see them grow their blogs over time.
Cheri at I am Momma-Hear me RoarCheri started blogging at about the same time as I did and I have followed her from the beginning.  I feel like I knew her from way back when.  Cheri is the real deal.  She will respond to your comments and is the sweetest thing.  Cheri is one of the most creative resourceful bloggers out there and should definitely be one that you follow.  I wish that I was half as creative as Cheri is.
Katy at No Big DillKaty is a gem.  She's a mom of five girls and one sweet little newborn son.Katy is an amazing seamstress.  We actually chatted by e-mail last year for quite some time about her sewing and pattern making.  She is such a great talent and pays such close attention to detail.  Katy also has some amazing photography on her blog.  She's got some adorable subjects to photograph and it provides such amazing eye candy.  I wish that I was half as good of a seamstress as Katy, and I wish I had just a little bit of her talent in photography.
Allison at House of HepworthsAllison is hilarious.  I find that when you blog about crafts and home decorating it's hard to be funny, but Allison seems to maintain her personality (and humor) throughout her blog.  Allison is one of those bloggers that is worth following on pinterest or facebook.  She's got some of the funniest pins out there.
Shelly at House of SmithsShelly is another one of those bloggers who is just plain funny.  You can feel her personality come through in her posts and she's been very honest the past few months about her weight struggles and how she's losing it. Such an inspiration.  I love her decorating style and want to move in with her and her cute little girls.  I don't think she would notice.  But if she did, she would probably hand me a hammer and a nail gun and we would have our best time.
All four of these bloggers have a HUGE following.  They have sponsors, lots of kids, tons of new projects, but yet they are still able to remember why they blog and are loyal to their followers.  
There are several big bloggers out there who don't respond to comments, don't follow up, and don't seem to care about their readers.  I can see that their motivation is only growing their blog and making money.  It's a sad truth to blogging these days.
I think the most genuine bloggers are the ones that are able to take the time to respond to their readers.
Blogging is a learning process for me.  Something that doesn't come easy.But I am thankful for the people who believe in me enough to read alongto comment, and to share with me in this journey.
Please vote for me to be one of the top 25 creative mom blogs out there.