Saturday, January 25, 2014

Welcome to "Grow Your Blog" 2014

Welcome to each of you who are here to visit, make new friends and to grow your own blogs! We have almost 500 blogs participating in this second international blogging event.  I am so very excited to once again host this "party" and to provide you all with the opportunity to help make your blogging experiences more rewarding~

For those of you who do not know me~~

Photo taken at the Montreal Botanical Gardens
"Chinese Lantern Festival"
I'm a lover of yarn -- actually it's an obsession. Well,let's just say that if there was a 12 step program for yarn addictions, I would have to be there!  The colors and textures fascinate me. My husband and I have been blessed to be able to travel the world -- and for me that includes visiting yarn shops everywhere we go~

~when you are obsessed with yarns and your craft room is overflowing -- you need to find a project. My love for yarns is more than just the textures,~ I am in love with the knots and tangles-- for me it is the way the colors mesh together so beautifully and the way each fiber seems to tell it's own special and unique story. When I am not knitting -- this is what I do with my beautiful yarns~ 

(you can read more about my nests on the sidebar of my blog)

or sometimes I do THIS~




yarn shopping in Montreal, Canada



Blogging has changed my life. When I first started blogging, I had no idea that I would meet people from all over the world and that we would form friendships that are so very special to me. I remember when I first started my blog and I had NO followers.  I desperately wanted to reach out and bring people to my blog -- but I did not know how.  Some wonderful bloggers went out of their way to help me~ their efforts rewarding me in so many ways, that still, to this day, I am so very grateful for their help. Thank you again dear Lynn and Dawn~xoxo

This party is my way of giving back to the world of blogging. I will never forget what it was like to go for almost a year with 3 Followers.  In most cases it is not "cool" to say "please follow my blog"-- but this party is THE exception. This is your unique opportunity to Meet and to FOLLOW and to GROW your blogs.

~~ 

Some notes in reference to the blogs that are participating~

1. the blogs are listed in categories based on the number of Google Followers that are shown on their blogs. (If you do not have Follower gadget then I used the number that you gave me when you signed up.) I have made small (random) divisions in each catagory so that it will be easier for you to keep your place on the list as you visit the blogs.

2. if you are participating in this party and there is an issue with your own blog that needs to be corrected -- I am here all day.  Just send me an email and I will correct it ASAP.  Don't panic -- just email me~~ You can email me at
vboster1@windstream.net

3. This post will stay up indefinitely -- after a while I will place a link to this post on my sidebar.  So don't feel as though you need to quickly make it through all of these blogs -- you can take as long as you wish -- last year's party post is still on my sidebar and continues to get visits. To this date the 2013 Grow Your Blog party post is my all time most visited post -- those blogs are continuing to get new readers and followers:)

4.  If you find blogs that have "forgotten" to participate properly in the party --- don't worry.  I have a wonderful group of volunteers who will be helping me to visit every blog the first day. I will delete those blogs who are not properly participating -- so please allow me 24 hours to make that right. 

5. Those of  you who are hosting a giveaway on your blogs -- please remember to make the drawing on February 15.  There should be no requirements of any kind to win the giveaway -- and the contest must be open to everyone regardless of where they live.   ~My own giveaway will be shown at the end of this post~

 6. In loading in these blogs I noticed that many of you still do NOT have a Follower gadget, or email sign up -- or any way for folks to sign up to follow you.  If you are one of these folks -- I would urge you to add something to your blogs so that your new friends can sign up to continue to follow you. Without that availability on your blogs -- this may be a disappointing party for you. (and we want everyone to have fun!!)  

7. and lastly~~ please try to remember what it was like to be a new blogger.  Please show support to those blogs who have only a few followers and if possible offer inspiration and advice if asked to do so.   Those of you who are listed in the  "LESS THAN 50 FOLLOWERS" category -- this party is truly FOR YOU!!  (because I will always remember how hard it was to struggle for Followers -- and my desire is to help you get a better start with your blogs.  It's just no fun if you think no one is out there for you!)  Perhaps you might try to show great support to each other within this catagory so that you can more quickly
Grow your blogs~


A loving THANK YOU to my friend 
for the unending support and encouragement
that she gives to me - always~
and for creating this beautiful badge for the party!
(without her help -- I'm just a fool sitting in front of a computer!)
xoxo

Grow your Blog 2014 participants
~~


Less than 50 Followers

1.
Musings of the Puppet Lady
my meller
Needle Arts on Paper
Nonnie's Observations
One Creative Cat
Patching Pixies
Piece*Love*Quilt
Peg's Place
Pepsi Max addict

 ***************
8.
Petite Armoire
Pickles Quilting
Pieces of My Heart
Pinnylea Creations
Pookledo
Plum Hollow
Purrfect Lady Muses
Purple Cobwebs
Putting the Pieces Together
Quilt Paradigm
Quilted Chocolate
Quilter's Playhouse

 ***************
9.
Rai Rai's Stitches
Ramblings of a quilter
Rambling Prose
Reconstructed Fabulousness
Red Door Quilts
Scene by Minerva
Scrappy Pieces
Seams To Be Sew
Sew Knit Create

 ***************
10.
Sew Much and More
Sew we go
Sewing After Seven
Shabby Royale
Shauna's World
shhdesigns
Shroo's World
Slightly Off Quilter
Smelly Nelly
Spices up your Life!
Spruce It Up Quilting


***************
11.
Steam Fairie Craft
Stitches and Seeds
Stitchings of a Raving Lunatic
Susan's Scrappy Domain
Susan Studio Arts
Susie's World
Tangle Street Studio
Tanya Quilts in CO
Tasty Textiles
Teacups and Toadstools

 ***************
12.
thebeautifulmatters
The Baul Crochet and Loom
The Country Witch's Cottage
The Crafthopper
the east coast desi
The Drowsy Bee
The Invisible Piper
The 7 Pillars Home
The Phantom Zucchini
The Polka Dot Chicken
The Ravell'd Sleave of Care
The Writer's Pipe
This Country Life
Through a Glass, Darkly

 ***************
13.
Tidbits and Treasures
Time 4 Tea and Cake
Todolwen (new blog)
Tosty's Quilting Tidbits
Val's Quilting Studio
View From the Teapot
Viv's Crazy Quilting Journey
Walk The Wheel
Wendy's Quilts and More
Wired Nan



Kathy In Ozarks Pages 
Katie's Salt Marsh Path
Kluless
Knitalatte
Silver Nik Nats


201-500 Followers



A huge thank you to my "party helpers"
who have assisted me in reading all of your blogs,
(checking that your links all work, and that everyone is participating properly --
making this the best of experiences for everyone.)

 Last year's event was huge -- but this years party -- is even bigger! 
There is NO way that in this first day I can possible visit almost 500 blogs --
(I work full time, have a busy life, play with my Grandbabies, and 
I'm in the middle of nesting season!)
~~
I will be by to visit each and everyone of you - but please understand
 that it might actually take me a couple of months! 
~~
These wonderful folks will be visiting you all this morning on my behalf --
they are all listed above in their respective catagories --
but you can meet them all again- here in this space~

 Maureen -- (Victorian Studio)
Elizabeth --(Sew in Love)
Kathy--(Kathy in Ozarks Pages)
Loreena -- (my way of...)
Shanna -- (Sparrow in Flight)
Shirley-- (Shirley Stitches)
Karen-- (Todolwen)
Karen -- (Cotton Spice)
Kristen -- (Meadowbrook) 
Marjorie-- (Marjorie's Busy Corner)
Beth -- (E Lizard Breath Speaks)
Lorraine-- (Colour Complements)
Pat -- (Life in the Scrapatch)
Shannon --(Around the Homestead)
Patty--(My Mountain Blessings)
Melody-- (The House on the Side of the Hill)
Marcheterre--(Comptonia)
Linda-- (Crafty Gardener)
Andrea --(My Everything Corner)
Monique-- (A Half Baked Notion)
Valerie - (Val's Quilting Studio)
Tanya -- (Bead and Needle)
Silke - (Metamorphosis)
Angie -- (A Quilting Reader's Garden)
Marti -- Aunt Marti and 52 Quilts 
Suzy --(Suziqusthreadworks)
Sandra -- (Thistle Cove farm)

 My Giveaways for the party~


This year's giveaway prize allows me to support my friend and Author Karen Gass.  Karen (who is also participating in this event) has written a series of books that will touch your heart.  Everyday people -- faced with everyday challenges -- a series of books that bring faith and encouragement into the lives of each of us who read her beautiful stories.  Karen is donating 2 autographed sets of her Morningshine series books. You can find Karen at her blog
 Cotton Spice-- and you can read more about her books here. 


and---


once again I am sharing some wonderful sweet treats from my favorite lady bakers -- these cookies will be shipped freshly baked to the home of one of my lucky blog readers.  These are one of my very favorite cookies and I wanted to share them with you~
~~~
the drawing for prizes
will be held on February 15~
the winners names will be announced 
on that date
HERE.
~~

 UPDATE FEBRUARY 15-
1. the winner of the cookie selection is
Nicole from My Garden Diaries. 

 2.  the winners of the books written by my friend Karen Gass
are Bird from Bird's Earthly Spirit
and also

This contest is now CLOSED.



Thank you for visiting here and participating in this year's
 Grow Your Blog party~~
~~
a most heartfelt welcome
to those of you who have signed on as Followers
and wish to spend a little more time with me
here at my blog
2 Bags Full~ 
xoxo
Vicki


If you would like to follow me on my Facebook page ~
you can find me here~
Posted by Vicki Boster at Saturday, January 25, 2014 225 comments
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