"Like" me on Facebook!

Ok so after a YEAR of blogging, I finally decided to start a Facebook page for The Blissful Bee! I know I probably should have done this a while ago, but eh what can ya do? I'm quickly realizing that Google Friend Connect will be going away VERY soon (in about ONE month) and I'm doing my best to keep my readers up-to-date and informed.

I thought Facebook might be another great option on top of some of the other blog readers that will be coming out. I will try not to overwhelm you with too many Facebook posts - I simply want to use it to inform my followers of new posts and updates to the blog. I would LOVE it if you would "like" my new Facebook page and follow along!

On another note, speaking of Google Friend Connect going away.... Does anyone have any advice on what might be replacing it, if anything? I have found that BlogLovin is REALLY great, but I keep wondering if there might be any rumors out there of an official GFC "replacement"?? I've heard it might be Google +, but I really hope not! I'm not the biggest fan of Google +. Any feedback would be super helpful!!

P.S. For a while, I had my Facebook page linked to my business, The Creative Cottage. Sooo if you thought you might have already "liked" my page, that might have been my business and not my blog. I'm trying to organize myself a little bit here, so I decided to separate the two. You might just want to double check and "like" The Blissful Bee too! Thanks y'all!!

May Mood Board Inspirations

Welcome back to the second month of our monthly mood board inspiration collaboration! This month we have Carissa from Carissa Miss, Samantha from Designer in Teal, and Fletcher from High Cotton Style. I have chosen the inspiration photo this month and we all came up with our own little mood board twist. 

The Blissful Bee's Mood Board:

Here is my mood board for this month. As always, I wanted to include a lot of color in the space. To view more of my mood boards, click [here].

Carissa from Carissa Miss:

Carissa from carissa miss here. lucky for me I got to work on one of my most anticipated boards...a little girl's room for my not-so-little-anymore girl! We are hoping to transform her bedroom from nursery/toddler room to sophisticated chic little girl room. I've been working on the design in my head pretty much since she was born:) her nursery wasn't ever really anything but a hodge-podge of handmedowns and clearance items so i've been waiting until she had a space of her own i could slowly save up and design the perfect room. Here's the fun inspiration board! Come visit me to see all the details and sources! 

Samantha from Designer in Teal:

Hi! It's Samantha...the Designer in Teal. I'm excited to be joining in on the collaboration again this month. This fresh color palette inspired me to create a relaxing spa like ladies restroom. I typically do designs on living rooms, bedrooms and offices so this was a refreshing change. I hope you will stop by to see the details and resources so that you can recreate the look. Also, because I am trying to build a portfolio, you can get a custom mood board from me for free!

Fletcher from High Cotton Style:

Hey y'all! I'm Fletcher from High Cotton Style. I couldn't be more thrilled to join in on this months collaboration. Hop on over to High Cotton Style to get the scoop on this design board. Stay a while- have a few drinks, and listen to me babble about interior design, recipes, life and who knows what else! All with southern hospitality, of course;)

Hope you all enjoyed our collaboration for this month! If you would like to be a part of next month's collaboration, please email me at theblissfulbee@gmail.com

I have also just created the OFFICIAL facebook page for The Blissful Bee! Make sure to "like" my page [HERE]. I am also now offering AD space as well. Click [here] if you might be interested.

Keith Family Photo Session

A few weeks ago my cousin-n-law, Ashley, contacted me wanting to schedule a maternity photo shoot for her 4th kiddo. It actually ended up turning into family shoot as well! Today I am posting their family session and will post a few of her maternity shots later next week. Her family is seriously SO beautiful and was such a blast to photograph. I think they might all be models... but really... Don't you agree??

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

How to Use Pinterest to Improve Blog Traffic

As Pinterest has grown in users, the company has grown as well. There are so many ways to get your business or blog known simply by using Pinterest. For example, when I first started The Blissful Bee last April, I have to thank Pinterest for getting my name out there. When I blogged about my DIY factory cart table, people pinned that project over 3,000 times! My DIY drum light fixture has been pinned over 5,000 times! It's pretty crazy to think about, but very exiting as well. Over the two years I have been on Pinterest, I have somehow gained 2,600 followers! I do have to admit that I might be on Pinterest a little too much at times, but I really do believe it has helped my blog grow. 

Today I want to share a few of my favorite tips for using Pinterest. My first tip is to ALWAYS include a "Pin it" button somewhere in your post. Whether it's a button that is placed above the image, at the top of the post, or hovering over the image, they will all work wonders. Simply by having that button somewhere on the post will remind your viewers to pin your project. Including a "follow me" button in your sidebar is another great way to remind your readers to follow you. As you can see, I designed a custom button that matches my blog, but Pinterest offers a "follow me" button as well (as seen in the widget builder below).

I also include a watermark of my website URL on each image I post. That way when it's pinned on Pinterest, people will hopefully start to recognize your blog name even if they don't repin your stuff. 

As you can see, Pinterest has given us an easy to use Widget Builder (pictured below). It gives you a few different options to choose from, but a really fun option is the Board Widget and Profile Widget. You can also add your "pin it" button and "follow" button here as well. The hover button is a little more difficult to add because you have to add additional HTML coding. This cannot be done through the Pinterest website, but you can see a tutorial on adding the hover button [here].

To build your own Widget Builder, click [here].

Another helpful tip is to include your blog name on your account. For example, my Pinterest name is Amy@TheBlissfulBee. Instead of using my first and last name, my first name is Amy, and my last name is "@TheBlissfulBee". This is also a great way to get your name out there. To make this change, go to your profile, and click on the pencil icon at the bottom right corner. There, you can change your user name and also write a short description of yourself. I have also included my blog website in this description.

Here are a few of my favorite boards on my Pinterest account. If you like what you see, make sure to follow me!








I also try to pin my project after I have published my post. For a while, I felt silly pinning my own projects, but I feel like it really does lead new readers to my blog. I don't do it with every post, but I will on some of my more important ones. If I feel like it's something a reader will really enjoy or learn from, I will pin it. I hope that some of my words of wisdom will help you all in your Pinterest journey! Let me know if you have any further questions and I will try to help answer them:)

Who I'm linking up with:

Rain on a Tin Roof

Blooming Homestead