The month of May has been a fun one for the Lifestyles channel at b5. It’s been all about meeting our neighbours. Our intrepid editor, Gayla, suggested that we get to know our fellow Lifestyle bloggers by talking to each other and blogging about one another. She suggested that we write about the bloggers who are 3, 4, 5, and 6 spaces down on the rollcall of the channel. What a neat idea!

This week, I am chatting with Marye over at Kettle and Cup, the blog that is all about the joys of tea and coffee.

1]      What is your main focus on  Kettle and Cup ? (are you mostly  tutorial based or a ‘gathering of info’ blog?)

Hmmm…everything coffee and tea with Italian sodas and the occasional chocolate thrown in.  I suppose it is a gathering of info, altho I do tutorials…Mostly it is stuff I find interesting about coffee and tea.

2]      What brought you to this blog?

My love for coffee and tea, and my desire to encourage people to try new things.

3]      What is your most favorite aspect of writing this blog?

Interacting with the readers

4]      What is your least favorite part about it?

Believe it or not I don’t have a least favorite part!

5]      Do you ever get memorable, odd or funny requests or comments?

Not really.  Although…considering my family I may not notice odd or funny things.

6]      What have you learned the most by writing  Kettle and Cup?

That coffee roasters, as a whole, are a pretty generous bunch.

7]      Do you have dry spells with the blog? If so, what gets you inspired again?

Nope I don’t.  I get inspired every time I grind beans for a pot of coffee, or try a tea I haven’t tried before.

Thanks, Marye!

So, now, if you’re in the mood for a fine cup of tea or a mug of great coffee, you  know where to go: Kettle and Cup, of course!

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay (copyright)

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

Each week in May, the members of the Lifestyles channel on b5 media are having a carnival that introduces our fellow bloggers to our readers.

This week, I am spotlighting Maricar over at Keeping the Castle, the blog that is all about taking good care of home and hearth.

I asked Maricar a few questions about Keeping the Castle, and here are her responses:

1]      What is your main focus on Keeping the Castle? (are you mostly  tutorial based or a ‘gathering of info’ blog?)
I would say it’s an information gathering and sharing blog. Sometimes I share from my experience, and other times, I share the finds I make online and elsewhere.

2]      What brought you to this blog?

I started this blog originally with Shai Coggins’ AboutWeblogs network. I had a practical tips blog on a free site, where I stored short tips about anything and everything. Shai thought we could expand it to become a homemaking/housekeeping blog, and that started KTC. This month is my 3rd year anniversary writing about the house and home.

3]      What is your most favorite aspect of writing this blog?

I learn a lot from researching and writing the blog. I also like that, if I forget something I’ve already written about, I could just search for it on the blog. It’s like my very own online handbook/cookbook!

4]      What is your least favorite part about it?

Least favorite part? Dealing with spam comments.

5]      Do you ever get memorable, odd or funny requests or comments?

Sometimes, I write about TV shows and programs, but I’m obviously not officially connected with them. There are a few readers who think I am, and leave comments for the celebrity. I really want to be able to help them with their requests, but I just can’t.

6]      What have you learned the most by writing Keeping the Castle?

Persistence and keeping things simple have their rewards. KTC is not a big traffic blog, and there are times when I wondered if it would ever truly take off. It’s still not a huge blog today, but I know that there are readers who do find KTC useful. They seem to like the simple tips and information that they find there, and they’re the ones who have kept KTC going through this time.

7]      Do you have dry spells with the blog? If so, what gets you inspired again?

Of course I have those days too. To find new ideas or inspire writing, I could do several things: look around my house, think about the housework I did or need to do that day, flip through magazines or the newspaper, even store ads.

Maricar is celebrating thee years of blogging Keeping the Castle and so she is having a whole lot of giveaways and contests to celebrate!

Why not pop over and sign up for some of those fun contests?

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay (copyright)

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

The Three Doors Down project on b5 is so neat! It’s giving me a great excuse to enjoy some of  ‘blogging neighbours’ on b5.

Here’s a link that explains what the ‘3 doors down’ project is.

This morning, one of my neighbours UP the b5 blog list (Jennifer at De Clutter It) wrote a posting about hankering for yarn.  She posted a pic of the most Zen yarn storage solution I have ever seen.  You really have to check it out!

Zen yarn photo at De-Clutter It 

She also posted about some other really great yarn storage solutions.  Brilliant. and useful, too! thanks, Jennifer!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

The Three Doors Down project on the Lifestyles Channel is under way! I am really enjoying this! (click on the link for an explanation)

My first ‘neighbour’, three doors down on the list of fellow Lifestyles bloggers at b5 is Cyndi at Jewelry & Beading.

Cyndi does a great job of finding really useful info on the web, as well as writing absolutely terrific tutorials. You’ll want to subscribe to this blog if jewelry making and beads are a passion of yours!

I sent Cyndi a list of questions about Jewelry & Beading, and here is her response:

“I love making stuff and I love writing about it, so being the writer of a
couple of arts and food oriented blogs is heaven to me! I have never
minded the “create on demand” aspect of this type of art career, but there
are times when I have so many projects going that I feel like I need a
personal assistant to follow along behind me and help me keep organized.

Jewelry and Beading is a mixture of projects, inspiration, and industry
news. I love to share my own projects with readers, as well as share the
work and techniques that they send me. I also love to find wonderful new
artwork that needs to be seen and to share that with everyone. And I
think it’s important that people who are working hard to improve their
skills have the information about new books, contests, calls for
submissions, and workshops that will stretch their current repertoire.

One of my favorite types of posts to share are the in-depth “Artist
Profiles”. Often I meet people online who just have amazing stories to
tell about the path their career has taken or about their own creative
process. It’s great to be able to share more than just a paragraph and a
couple of pictures from these amazingly creative people.”

I LOVE Cyndi’s blogs, including Layers upon Layers, which is one of my faves. I subscribe to it, and you should, too!

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay (copyright) 

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

Through the month of May, the Lifestyles channel at b5 media is going to be having a neat neighbourhood networking carnival.

Each of us will be featuring introductions to and interviews with blogs and bloggers from the b5 Lifestyles network.

Here are the guidelines….

Each of us looks at the list of b5 Lifestyles blogs, and counts down 3 from our blog. That blog, and the next 3 blogs are the ones we’ll be featuring.

This means that in May, I’ll be interviewing:

Cyndi at Jewelry and Beading

Here’s the posting about Cyndi: CYNDI

Peggy at Junk Creation

Here’s the posting about Peggy

Maricar at Keeping the Castle

Here’s the posting about Keeping the Castle

and Marye at Kettle and Cup

Here’s the posting about Kettle and Cup 

I am looking forward to learning more about these 4 blogs and their wonderful bloggers.

Just think! They are only 3 doors down….

And, Jennifer at De-Clutter it, who is 3 doors UP,  wrote  a really great posting about organizing yarn stash, when she was  writing her 3 doors down posting about Hankering for yarn. Thanks, Jennifer!

what a great neighbourhood!

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay (copyright)

Post from: Hankering for Yarn