High Five: Hodge Podge Farm

As part of my quest for a better blog, I'm going to start paying more attention to all the great blogs out there. I'm going to find my favourites and analyse what elements make them most attractive to me. Once a week (every Wednesday), I'm going to blog about one of them. High five! 

This week, my favourite is Hodge Podge Farm, where designer and crafter extraordinaire Cal Patch blogs about her life. 

5 Great Things:

1. Cal presents herself as an all-star crafter and an expert in her field(s) AND as a human-you-could-comfortably-make-eye-contact-with. I'm socially stunted in the extreme, so that's saying a lot!

2. Advanced Tutorial! Cal did a tutorial for Etsy's blog in which she teaches how to design and sew your own leggings. Heck ya! (this is how I found her blog in the first place). She also has a few more good tutorials on her blog, all collected under the 'tutorial' heading on the menu bar--handy!

3. Lots of photos.

Image from "2011 in Pictures: November"

4. A consistent 'vibe.' The photos and posts all sort of come together to create a comfy-crafty-farmer-girl image. Lots of photos of bright yarns, roosters and hens, WIP's, veggies in the garden, fabrics, and landscape.

Image from "Empty Nest"

 5. Banner. Of course, I like the banner.

High Five: LA

As part of my quest for a better blog, I'm going to start paying more attention to all the great blogs out there. I'm going to find my favourites and analyse what elements make them most attractive to me. Once a week (every Wednesday), I'm going to blog about one of them. High five!

This week, my favourite blog is LA, where Leigh-Ann writes about her life and work:

"I think of my blog like a sister. It's where I 'call' excitedly once a day (sometimes twice), with whom I can share, learn and grow, catch-up, be vulnerable, celebrate, be understood, tell funny stories & mishaps... just like when I'm with my sister (whose my best friend), my blog is where I feel most connected with myself. I'm writing to you like we're sisters :)" (quote from here)

5 Great Things

• The Banner: I love the friendly and inviting pic of Leigh-Ann. I think it portrays the "sister" vibe that she strives to foster on her blog.
• The colours: Everything is muted and soft, a little like vintage sheets!
• The "Color Couples" series (check it!)

  

  photo taken from this post

• The menu bar (or whatever you call it) across the top, that allows for easy navigation. 
• The buttons on the sidebar!

I would love for people to join in and make this a conversation! What do you look for in a blog? Leave a comment, or even write a post on your own blog, and then copy and paste the permalink in the comments section!

High Five: Skunkboy Creatures

As part of my quest for a better blog, I'm going to start paying more attention to all the great blogs out there. I'm going to find my favourites and analyse what elements make them most attractive to me. Once a week (every Wednesday), I'm going to blog about one of them. High five!

This week, my favourite blog is Skunkboy Creatures, where indie plushmaker Katie blogs about style, music, crafting, her biz, and her family.

5 Great Things:

• The banner
• The buttons
• The photos (great composition and lighting)! <- It sounds like I know a lot about photos when I use words like 'composition' and 'lighting'!   

photo from "weekly wears: bananarama"

• The Blog's cohesive overall look--even photos in her posts that have bright colours are softened to fit in with the look of the blog
• I really love this post about stepping out of your [style] box. 
• And I really love her style!

I would love for people to join in and make this a conversation! What's you're favourite blog, and why? Leave a comment, or even write a post on your own blog, and then copy and paste the permalink in the comments section!