7th blogoversary
Today, 24th April 2020, it's my blog's 7th anniversary. I can't believe it's been so many years since I came up with the idea to create The Monster Crafts (it was just going to be Monster Crafts, but it was already taken). Since then, lots of things have happened, and the blog has taken a very different direction that I initially had planned.
I started this blog very inspired by a fellow blogger called Lola's mini homes. She made an incredible Monster High school and dorm rooms out of cardboard and I loved it. I wanted to do something similar but life had other plans for me and I didn't end up doing anything close to that. Soon after starting my blog, I started working almost full time and, in September, I started college, which left me with very little time to work on a big project.
I wanted this to be a mainly craft blog, but truth is I've made very few crafts. The lack of time, space and, let's be honest, patience sometimes, made me put that idea aside, which was quite frustrating because I had lots ideas for that I couldn't make. Plus, sometimes I've struggled to find the specific supplies that I need. I feel like Spain doesn't have the "craft culture" that other countries have, even though I feel that is starting to change. I hope that, now that I have a bit more time and space, I'll be able to make crafts more often.
When I started the blog, I hadn't spoken English in years, but I still decided to write a blog in English because everyone I interacted with spoke english. My first posts... they're bad! I sound like a 10 year old that just started blogging. If you ever read those... please, don't judge me. I tried to learn by reading other blogs that were mostly targeted to a younger audience. I feel like I've improved since then, but I could still do better, specially if I proofread my texts before hitting "Publish".
I feel like blogs aren't as popular as they used to be, and there's been times when I've thought of quitting blogging, but I'm finally glad I didn't. As cheesy as it may sound, I feel like I've grown with this blog and, at the end of the day, I would miss it. I hope I can keep posting for many years and that you stick with me.
On a little side note, I'm doing OK at a personal level. I'm quite busy with college (that's why this post isn't more elaborated), but so far I'm OK. No one from my family has been affected by the virus, and so far everyone is fine. We're supposed to be able to leave our houses at some point in early May. I can't wait to go to my old house and finish moving.
Hope everyone is doing well during this weird times. Take care.
Monster Crafts.
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| First attempt using my house as a background |
I started this blog very inspired by a fellow blogger called Lola's mini homes. She made an incredible Monster High school and dorm rooms out of cardboard and I loved it. I wanted to do something similar but life had other plans for me and I didn't end up doing anything close to that. Soon after starting my blog, I started working almost full time and, in September, I started college, which left me with very little time to work on a big project.
I wanted this to be a mainly craft blog, but truth is I've made very few crafts. The lack of time, space and, let's be honest, patience sometimes, made me put that idea aside, which was quite frustrating because I had lots ideas for that I couldn't make. Plus, sometimes I've struggled to find the specific supplies that I need. I feel like Spain doesn't have the "craft culture" that other countries have, even though I feel that is starting to change. I hope that, now that I have a bit more time and space, I'll be able to make crafts more often.
When I started the blog, I hadn't spoken English in years, but I still decided to write a blog in English because everyone I interacted with spoke english. My first posts... they're bad! I sound like a 10 year old that just started blogging. If you ever read those... please, don't judge me. I tried to learn by reading other blogs that were mostly targeted to a younger audience. I feel like I've improved since then, but I could still do better, specially if I proofread my texts before hitting "Publish".
I feel like blogs aren't as popular as they used to be, and there's been times when I've thought of quitting blogging, but I'm finally glad I didn't. As cheesy as it may sound, I feel like I've grown with this blog and, at the end of the day, I would miss it. I hope I can keep posting for many years and that you stick with me.
On a little side note, I'm doing OK at a personal level. I'm quite busy with college (that's why this post isn't more elaborated), but so far I'm OK. No one from my family has been affected by the virus, and so far everyone is fine. We're supposed to be able to leave our houses at some point in early May. I can't wait to go to my old house and finish moving.
Hope everyone is doing well during this weird times. Take care.
Monster Crafts.
Congratulations on your 7th anniversary MC, I hope you stick around for many more. I love our current group of bloggers, it's been fun getting to know everyone, and it doesn't really matter what we chat about. Whether it be about dolls, crafts, knitting, sewing or other things we collect or are interested in or simply about life in general, as long as we enjoy each other's company . . . just like any other group of friends. :)
ReplyDeleteWe all maybe from different countries, of different ages, but we are really not so different at all. Stay safe and healthy and take care of the ones you love.
Big hugs,
X
Hi Xanadu. One of my favourite parts of this hobby is meeting people from all around the world, different ages and background that I would not have had the chance to meet otherwise. You can always learn different things from all kinds of people. And, like you said, we're not that different at the end of the day.
DeleteI am happy with my current (very small) group of readers, but I also miss some of the people that were around back when I started, but sadly aren't active anymore.
Take care you aswell. Hugs.
Congratulations and I wish you further satisfaction from blogging. I wish you health for you and your loved ones. Hugs
ReplyDeleteThanks Zacisze! Hope you stay healthy and safe too.
DeleteCongratulations on your blogiversary. With so many doll bloggers on my reading list who have stopped actively blogging, I'm grateful to those who continue to write despite the fall in popularity of the medium. Reading other collectors' blogs is not only entertaining for me, it helps me feel connected. It's nice to know that there are other collectors in the world who buy playline dolls, who shop secondhand, who are just average, ordinary people who happen to love dolls. Anyway, congratulations again.
ReplyDeleteSigned, Treesa
Hi Treesa! I also have several blogs on my reading list that aren't active anymore, but I have hopes they come back. When I don't have much work to do, I like to sit down in front of my computer with my coffee and read a post or two. Collecting is way more fun if you can share it with others.
DeleteThanks for your lovely comment.
Congratulations on seven years blogging! Your English is amazing, I wish my Spanish were as good!! I agree though that there really isn't the same craft culture here in Spain than there is in the US for example. Having said that, I do feel that a lot of people here sew and I've met a lot of quilters but shops selling craft stuff are few and far between....I would love big craft shops around here!!! There is an organisation called Salon Creativa and they do big craft fayres across Spain, they have come to Malaga in the past but last time, February 2019 I think it was, there was definitely less stands and less people :( and they've not been back since. I hope they come back again maybe next year.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I hope that you have many many more years of blogging!
Take care of yourself
Sharon xx
Thanks Sharon! I do agree about the sewing, but I believe it's mostly the older generations who can sew. Back in the 60s and earlier women were taught some sewing at school, so many women that are now in their 50s-60s can sew. I also do wish we had here some sort of big company like Michael's in the US and the variety of products they have there. I feel like here we don't get half of the products and the trends and, when we do, is ages later. When chalk paint started being popular in Spain it was already old news in the rest of the world.
DeleteI've heard of Salon Creativa, I believe they went to Valencia (much closer for me) years ago, but I haven't heard anything since. I'm also hopeful they'll organize something similar at some point in the future.
Thank you so much for your kind words. Big hugs.
Here is their website, no Valencia at the moment but maybe next year.
Deletehttps://www.saloncreativa.net/?fbclid=IwAR1Ifu-2Le7GIrWadq5VSqx5HW4gIFM9IDGh8Cii71xDEbQDezyHCzH8GMA
Thanks! I will keep an eye on upcoming dates.
DeleteHappy Blogoversary! It's great that you have been blogging so long. I want to get back to it so much. I love reading doll blogs.
ReplyDeleteHi Jaye! Thanks. I follow your blog, and I wouldn't say you aren't active, but maybe not as active as you would like to be. I hope you get time to post soon, I love your scenes.
DeleteHappy Blogaversary! I am a somewhat new follower and enjoy your current and past posts. I think your English is excellent! I agree that blogs are not as popular anymore but I really like them, they hold more info than just Instagram and FB posts. Keep up the good and work and stay safe!
ReplyDeleteHi Chris! I'm glad you found my blog and find it interesting. I do agree, in a blog post you can share more info, but I feel like Youtube and Instagram seem to be more popular now. I guess it's easier to just look at photos or watch a video than read an interact with others. I still prefer blogging though.
DeleteThanks for your lovely comment.
Congratulations on seven years! Sometimes being creative means going with your inspiration at the time. Although the down side is that sometimes being creative goes with what supplies you have, or don't have.
ReplyDeleteYour English is great! I should practice my Spanish and German more often. Posiblimente hablo espanol contigo.
I really prefer the interaction that blogs offer, as opposed to YouTube or Instagram. I wish that there were more bloggers around too. Maybe young people who are only on Instagram right now will find that they have things they wish to write about and will get a blog.
Thanks Barb. Agree, sometimes I give up on a project because I can't find what I need. It sometimes happens that I find what I need once I've lost interest or have another project in mind.
DeleteIf it makes you feel better, I've pretty much given up on speaking a half decent German. Your Spanish sounds great though.
Me too, however there are some bloggers that never interact with their readers, which is something I don't really understand. Maybe with the new Youtube rule more people will join the blog community, who knows?
Take care.
Congratulations on seven years! Time goes by fast when having fun and I am happy to visit your blog and read about the latest. And during the years we grow and learn. Your English is great and it is language that many understand. I wish I could have practiced my German a bit more or had time to study another language. I could blog in Finnish and Swedish too, but I decided to blog in English to reach more people in this hobby.
ReplyDeleteBlog is a great way to keep in touch, but so is even Instagram or for those who like it - twitter.
Keep on blogging and take care!
Thank you DollsDolour! I do agree, english is an international language and we can reach to more people. There's quite big community of spanish bloggers, but back when I started I didn't know any of them. Plus, the ones focused on Monster High dolls were more focused on reporting the new releases.
DeleteI do use social media to keep in touch, and I do like some aspects of it, but to me it doesn't offer the possibilities that a blog does, while taking away popularity from it, if that makes any sense.
Hope you and your family are safe too. Thanks for stopping by.
Thank you Linda. I'm fascinated by the fact that a woman in her 80s has a blog, it's quite unusual. She must be a very interesting person.
ReplyDeleteI do think that my english could be way better, specially my pronunciation and my accent. I try to watch TV in english, so I can learn a bit.
I do agree about the interaction part. Reading a blog and leaving a comment implies that the person is more engaged in your content than just scrolling down and giving likes.
I'm glad you're enjoying Next in Fashion. The Dragon Princesses are just adorable. Hope it keeps you entertained during this crazy times.
Thanks for stopping by.
Hi, Monster Crafts! Congrats on your 7 year blogoversary! I haven't posted in quite some time either, but I haven't given up yet. My dollroom and area is in such disarray that it has been difficult to take pictures. I am rearranging it for the 2nd, no 3rd or may 4th time??? lol! But I do plan on getting things going again. With the Stay at Home orders here, it has given me more time to work on the room. I will tell you that I haven't stopped buying dolls, so I will certainly have stuff to post about!
ReplyDeleteStay home and stay safe!
Hi Phyllis! I'm glad to hear that you're doing OK, since I haven't heard from you in a while. I also used my first "lockdown weekend" to arrange my dolls. It's not finished, but I'm finding time here and there. I don't have much spare time with school.
DeleteIt's great to hear you still want to be an active blogger, we've missed you, but I understand sometimes we need some time off. I'm looking forward to see your new dolls.
Take care.
Hi MC-- You know I follow you on FB, IG and of course, we chat on Twitter.....and you're on my Blog list, but somehow I missed getting you on my reading list. So voila...now I have no excuse to miss a single post of yours. I would like to wish you a Happy (belated) Blogaversary. It seems that both of us began our blogs within 2 months of each other 7 years ago! Your English is so good, I never would have thought you were from Spain if you had not told us! Although we collect different types of dolls, I am still interested in what everybody collects and what they do with them. I am thrilled you are a part of this wonderful community of doll collectors and hobbyists.
ReplyDeleteHello April! Blogger has been acting up lately, and I also have had issues with my reading list, but I'm glad to hear that it's fixed now. Plus, I haven't had as much time to keep with all the blogs that I follow during the school year.
DeleteThank you, and yes, we seem to have started more or less at the same time. I don't think my english is perfect, but I have had the chance to practice it a lot this past few years. I'm also interested to see other types of dolls, even if they're not the same I collect.
I'm late to the party, but congrats anyway! It was fun to watch your blog evolve so far and I hope we will be seeing you for many more years.
ReplyDeleteHi BlackKitty! Thanks, I also hope to stick around for many more years. Thanks for taking the time commenting on so many of my recent posts.
Delete