Listmania six: blogs tried and true and blogs new to you

Thank you for being here joining in with listmania – whether you are reading along and commenting, sharing your own lists or commenting on others’ linked up. I hope you are loving it as much as I am (your comments and posts make me think you are). I hope more people will come along and play.

This week’s list is all about blogs.

I used to read so many blogs.

Then I started blogging.

My time became split and slowly the ration of blogs being read for pleasure and blogs being read for “work” skewed.

I decided to merge them better in the last six months and have delighted in dropping many blogs and picking up new ones that serve me better, reconnecting with blogs that got lost in the shuffle and spending time with those that make me think, smile, cry or laugh.

My top five blogs that I keep coming back to month after month (and hope you will love too)

1. Alisa Burke

This is the blog I come to for inspiration, colour, video tutorials (art related), pretty, natural, and spirit lifting. I have never visited Alisa’s blog and left without a smile on my face. I am in awe. I am excited when I read. I feel I too can be an artist. I never feel less than, but rather like I am visiting a friend who wants me to join her and have all the wonderful things she has too.

2. Oh My Handmade

I don’t sell anything handmade and I am barely into the creative arts in real life. I am a bit of an online stalker for creative sites though as I feel a real calling in that direction. This site is one of my all-time favourites to visit each week as it combines creative pursuits with business with being organised (printables and planning). I take away lessons all the time that either relate to my work as a writer and information product creator or to life in general.  Like Alisa’s site I feel inspired and it comes in a pretty package.

3. Superhero Life with Andrea Scher

I first found Andrea years ago when she sold her beautiful necklaces (still covet one). I identify with her, her message and her space. She will make you think, nod your head, and wish you could meet up regularly to chat.

4. The Blogess

I shared once before how hysterical Jenny Lawson’s book is (go get a copy now – I insist) and her blog has been in my reader forever. I tend to visit her in bursts when I need a laugh rather than daily. I will gorge on six or eight posts in a row until I am laughing and crying and just feel the release that her blog gives this over-thinking, stress case of a mom.

5. Jen Louden and Brene Brown – tie (sneaky way to make it 6)

Two women who inspire me to live authentically, be brave, be vulnerable, let go and evolve.

 

Five new to me blogs that I experienced love at first sight with

1.  A free spirit life

Shannon is my most recent discovery and I only wish I had found her last year as I would have loved to be taking part in her current course “Inside out”. Just the list of her topic categories makes me happy and I can’t wait to clear little blocks of time to go through her archives.

• being
• breathing
• connecting
• creating
• eating
• giving
• growing
• i love happy
• laughing
• living
• loving
• mothering
• playing
• Thirty Days of Giving Thanks

2. Jessica Swift

To sum up why I have fallen in love with this blog – lots of colour, inspiring words and images, her artists and renegades interview series (love the questions!)

3. sillygrrl.

Sarah is an aerialist (so cool), designer and I love her how-to’s, her blog tutorials and her link posts where she shares tons of stuff/articles I would never find on the net.

4. Be Up & Doing

I discovered Allison’s blog when I was researching our trip to the States last year – I loved her travel guides and that drew me into her site. I love her 3 things idea to post about 3 new things she wants to do / try in the coming month.

5. Alexandra Franzen

I knew of her blog and read it occasionally but recently subscribed – food for thought, empowering, great writing.

 

Featured Lists from list #5:

Rae from Hopeful Rae of Sunshine is a great choice as she falls into my new-to-me blogs as I just met her when she started listmania. So glad she did as I love reading her posts. She cracked me up hard with her day in the life – from her grumpy face photo her hubby snapped when she was napping to her selfie when practicing her Academy award speech – this is a funny chick - go check out her list .

 

Lisa from Cut my milk shared a day in her life with 5 kids ranging from the baby to the 11 year old (+ a bonus 11 year old she took to dance class). Awesome glimpse into her days with a sense of humour.

 

Listmania prompt seven: (how is it already week seven?)

Personally I plan to be a lifelong learner so I am interested to find out what things other people dream (or plan) of learning about in their own life. This could be anything from a craft to a life lesson!

“Things I’d like to learn”

 

Link up for week six here:

Tagged as: blogs