Behind The Scenes Of This Blog
I have had the privilege of working with Wayfair for a couple of years now. In July, I had the opportunity to be featured in their Blogger Spotlight and decided to share with YOU why I blog and what motivates me each day! Enjoy…
Homemaker Blogger Spotlight: Only By Grace
Meet Kristin from Only By Grace! We love catching glimpses into her day-to-day life through her blog, and we’re always anxious to hear what great advice she has on tap. Plus, her organizing and simple living tips are always giving us inspiration for our own homes! Learn more about Kristin and how she stays motivated to blog.
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am a 32-year-old semi-stay-at-home-mom, I’ve been married to my husband and best friend for 10 years, and we have a one-year-old daughter. We live in a very small town in rural Minnesota; I work part-time as an elementary secretary and enjoy the simple things in life – the things money can’t buy. Becoming a parent and living the life we do has only been because of grace, and that is the very thing I love to blog about.
I am a 32-year-old semi-stay-at-home-mom, I’ve been married to my husband and best friend for 10 years, and we have a one-year-old daughter. We live in a very small town in rural Minnesota; I work part-time as an elementary secretary and enjoy the simple things in life – the things money can’t buy. Becoming a parent and living the life we do has only been because of grace, and that is the very thing I love to blog about.
How did you first get involved with blogging?
I started a personal blog about six years ago, to keep my family informed about our life, since miles separated us. After a move from Michigan to Minnesota, I decided to start an organizing website after realizing we had way too many possessions that did not fit in our moving truck. I had the urge to purge and figured blogging about it would be a great way to keep me motivated. After having a specific organizing blog for 2 ½ years, I decided to combine my personal and organizing blog into one, which is now www.kristinsterk.com. Plus, time was hard to come by after having a baby, so combining the two blogs and creating a new one was the best decision I could have made!
I started a personal blog about six years ago, to keep my family informed about our life, since miles separated us. After a move from Michigan to Minnesota, I decided to start an organizing website after realizing we had way too many possessions that did not fit in our moving truck. I had the urge to purge and figured blogging about it would be a great way to keep me motivated. After having a specific organizing blog for 2 ½ years, I decided to combine my personal and organizing blog into one, which is now www.kristinsterk.com. Plus, time was hard to come by after having a baby, so combining the two blogs and creating a new one was the best decision I could have made!
What do you find most challenging about blogging?
Time. Blogging is never-ending, in a good way! There is always something to tweak, something to enhance, and something to write. Finding quality and uninterrupted time to do those very things can be difficult. I would encourage anyone who wants to start blogging to realize that it is worth every minute, but it takes many many hours. It truly is worth it though.
Time. Blogging is never-ending, in a good way! There is always something to tweak, something to enhance, and something to write. Finding quality and uninterrupted time to do those very things can be difficult. I would encourage anyone who wants to start blogging to realize that it is worth every minute, but it takes many many hours. It truly is worth it though.
How would someone describe your blogging style? Relatable, maybe? My hope is that my readers feel they have a relationship with me and can relate to what I am saying. Whether it is in regards to parenting, organizing, or just life in general, I want my readers to know they are not alone. Our house can be a disaster on a daily basis, but that is reality. Parenting is not always easy. Organizing a home takes time and effort. Our home does not look like the front cover of a magazine, but that is reality for us and it is only by grace that we live the life we do. I hope others can relate to that.
What do you do when you aren’t working on your blog?
Spending time with my family! Whether going on bike rides, walks, exploring new areas, or just sitting outside watching our daughter play in the dirt, we treasure that time together. I enjoy sports, purging and organizing our home, making cards, baking, and just being a homemaker. I also enjoy helping my husband in his position as a youth pastor, as we walk alongside youth as they navigate life.
Spending time with my family! Whether going on bike rides, walks, exploring new areas, or just sitting outside watching our daughter play in the dirt, we treasure that time together. I enjoy sports, purging and organizing our home, making cards, baking, and just being a homemaker. I also enjoy helping my husband in his position as a youth pastor, as we walk alongside youth as they navigate life.
How do you keep coming up with material/content for your blog?
Many of my post ideas come not from intentionally sitting down and trying to come up with something, but from living everyday life. For example, while on a walk, an idea will pop into my head, so I go home and quick jot some ideas down. During a given day, I may see something that needs organizing, make or bake something new, and want share it with my readers. I would encourage any blogger to just look at your life, look at your house, your kids, and ask, “Can any of this be transformed into a blog post?”
Many of my post ideas come not from intentionally sitting down and trying to come up with something, but from living everyday life. For example, while on a walk, an idea will pop into my head, so I go home and quick jot some ideas down. During a given day, I may see something that needs organizing, make or bake something new, and want share it with my readers. I would encourage any blogger to just look at your life, look at your house, your kids, and ask, “Can any of this be transformed into a blog post?”
What’s the best thing a blogger can give to her readers?
A genuine, real life experience. It is easy to fabricate a so-called perfect life through blogging, but that is not real life (at least not for me). I feel that being honest and forward about the mundane, the struggles, but also the simplest joys, are what an everyday life consists of. I may talk a lot about organizing, parenting, my faith, and our everyday life, but I hope that as people read my blog, that they feel they know me personally – not some fabricated person.
A genuine, real life experience. It is easy to fabricate a so-called perfect life through blogging, but that is not real life (at least not for me). I feel that being honest and forward about the mundane, the struggles, but also the simplest joys, are what an everyday life consists of. I may talk a lot about organizing, parenting, my faith, and our everyday life, but I hope that as people read my blog, that they feel they know me personally – not some fabricated person.
A lot of people are interested in blogging for the money earning potential. What are some tips for people interested in making money from blogging? What are some realistic expectations in regards to what can be made?Don’t quit your day job! Blogging can definitely be done for the money, but I personally feel you have to start blogging with the goal to NOT make money. I think to make a good blog great, you have to focus on what the blog is about, not what it can make. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is to just be me. Mimicking other bloggers will not make your blog. Finding your niche, finding what you truly enjoy in life, and finding time to write about it, will make it a successful blog (and maybe make some money too). Just be YOU!
What was the most challenging moment in your blog content development process and why?
As a blogger, I think it is in our nature to constantly compare ourselves to other bloggers. In creating content, I have learned that the most detrimental thing I can do to myself and to my blog is to compare. Comparing only makes me someone I am not, so I really have been striving to just write about our life and not think about how our life compares to other’s lives.
As a blogger, I think it is in our nature to constantly compare ourselves to other bloggers. In creating content, I have learned that the most detrimental thing I can do to myself and to my blog is to compare. Comparing only makes me someone I am not, so I really have been striving to just write about our life and not think about how our life compares to other’s lives.
Everyone has a favorite and least favorite post. What are yours and why?My favorite post is actually a series. What jump-started my organizing blog was my 100 Days of Less Series (which I am now in the middle of doing a “revamp” of). I never imagined that series to change my personal life as much as it did (as well as many others), but since doing that series, it has been the groundwork for all of my other posts. As for a specific post, I would say the “How To Get Rid Of Emotional Clutter” was one of the most challenging posts to write, but also the most rewarding on many levels.
Last question! Who’s on your blog roll?I don’t have a lot of time to read other blogs, but when I do, I find myself going to the lifestyle blogs of Andrea Dekker and Clover Lane. They both offer that genuine and real life experience that I enjoy relating to. For a simple living kick, I enjoy reading Little House Living, Clean & Scentsible, Finding Joy, and Small Notebook. Then there are the blogs that some of my personal friends write that I enjoy visiting, but those are too numerous to list! I enjoy reading other blogs because it reminds me that each person has their own style, niche, and loves, which offers a lot of inspiration!
