Remember how I was taking an online class from the Alt Channel?

Well it was last week and I loved it.

The class I took was called Growing Your Readership taught by Nicole Balch from Making It Lovely.

In the class we watched a live video feed of Nicole discussing blogging tips on growing your readership.

There was also a live chat session allowing the participants to talk during the class.

Nicole gave a short powerpoint, here are a few of my favorite tips she shared:

* Use your own pictures

*Create unique post lay-outs

*Share your life story

*Show-off your talents

*Make a schedule and stick to it

*Find a good rhythm

*Keep it consistent so your readers know what to look forward to.

* Embrace Facebook, Twitter, Instagram!

*Post a mixture of personal and professional 

At the end we got to ask her questions, it was awesome.

Not only was it packed full of good information, it was also a great way to connect with other bloggers.

I definitely think it was worth the $15.00 registration fee.

I am hoping to sign up for a couple more.

Have you had a chance to take a class yet?

Happy Valentines Day.

I must admit, I am a sucker for this holiday.

Pink + chocolate + romance…what’s not to love?

Since pink is so popular in interiors lately, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite pink accessories.

1.2.3.4.5.6

I really want that pink chevron rug, isn’t it beautiful?

We typically keep our Valentines day plans and gifts pretty low key.

My hubby and I write each other poems and homemade cards.

What are you plans for tonight?

Today I have a treat for you, Elissa from Our House agreed to participate in my Best New Blogs series. As soon as I found her blog, I immediately fell in love with her style.

Hi everyone! My name is Elissa and I write the blog Our House. A little bit about me…well…I’m from Canada, I guess we can start with that! I grew up in a small town on the prairies but now I live with my husband and two kids in a city near Vancouver, British Columbia. I am a former university admissions professional, but I recently decided to stay at home with my kids and do the mom thing. When I’m not chasing after my kids, I’m renovating my home with my husband and scheming up another DIY project from myself!

As you can see, I can often be found shopping for my house in search of the best deal in town, with my two trusty sidekicks in tow, of course.

On my blog I like to document the fun everyday happenings of my home, the always entertaining (and never ending) renovation process, the things that inspire me, all the DIY projects I get myself (and sometimes my husband) into, the joy of a good thrift store find, and of course, all those crazy moments of life with kids!

My design style is pretty eclectic (vague, I know) but I like a little bit of everything. When making decorating/renovating decisions in my own home I tend to start with a classic look and find myself adding a bit of rustic, some vintage touches, a lot of white with pops of color here and there, and some clean modern finishes too! Our home has been a major work in process, but here are a few of the rooms we have been working on…

My favorite design trend right now would have to be warm metals! Lamps, frames, cabinet hardware, it’s slowly making its way into my house over the past few years and I love it! I find these pictures so inspiring…love those touches of brass and gold!

So a kitchen reno is coming up next at our house, my husband builds and instals kitchen cabinets for a living, one day soon it’s going to be my turn! This kitchen has me thinking about adding some brass hardware into the mix…

Thanks for letting me stop by and introduce myself Danielle!

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Isn’t her house beautiful? And a fellow Canadian, I like her already!

I can’t wait to see what she does with her kitchen. I kinda wish my hubby was a cabinet maker, lucky girl!

Thanks so much Elissa.

Make sure you head on over to Our House and check out her adorable blog!

When Colleen from Lemon Drop Dreams posted her bathroom makeover this week I fell in love.

She completely transformed her bathroom with a little paint, how inspiring.

Are you impressed or what?

Isn’t it amazing how painting the walls also updated the tile? 

The black and white stripes really add so much glam to the space.

I also love how she added the black trim to the cabinet doors.

So chic.

And the simple black and white shower curtain really ties it all together.

Way to go Colleen!

{all images via Lemon Drop Dreams}

Now I want to paint my bathroom!

Speaking of black and white stripes, Emory’s room was featured on Apartment Therapy again today!

Woot, woot!

Being featured never gets old!