Sunday Appreciation – Social Networking

It was a year ago in January when I started this blog. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing or why. It seemed like a good marketing idea. Then I signed up for Twitter. Really didn’t understand that. Neither did anybody else until Oprah & the media got a hold of it.

I limped along with blogging until summer, not posting too regularly. Forgot about Twitter. Finally joined Facebook. And then things started to ‘click’.

I connected with my BFF Caroline since 4th grade on FB.


“What have you been up to,” I asked.

“Well, I’ve been a closet writer for the past 12 years and, actually, I’ve just published my first book.”



How exciting is that? If not for the internet & FB, I might’ve missed this wonderful time in her life! Now, after years of not seeing her, we ‘talk’ nearly every week! I began to see the potential of social networking.

I became a voracious FB fan & found all kinds of ‘friends.’ I still left Twitter alone – just didn’t ‘get it.’ Over the summer & thru the fall I began blogging a bit more regularly. Then I found the linky parties! Oh, such fun – especially around the holidays. People actually began to follow me!

I started posting pictures of my work on the Link Parties and I found out the power of link love from bloggers with loads of followers.



Beckie @ Infarrantly Creative did a love link for this mural and my stats skyrocketed that day. I love ‘chatting’ with her back & forth by email.



Cindy @ Cottage Instincts liked the Pooh closet door/growth chart.

Hey, that reminds me – they want to change that door out to Princess & the Frog. I need to call them.

Then I offered to barter with some bloggers. I painted this wall hanging for a darling little girl’s room @ Confessions from a Working Mom.



What a great idea! Hanging it on a door! So simple.

And darling little Tinkerbell! Her mommy posts @ AfterTheAlter.



Between finding old friends on FB and new bloggin’ buddies, I didn’t think social networking could get any better. Then I got back on Twitter via Tweetdeck – by far the easiest way to tweet I’ve found.

But wait . . . it gets even better! If you watch HGTV’s Rate Your Space, you know who Angelo is.



So I have the Olympics on one night, as well as Twitter, and see Angelo posting about his olympic mania. I figured, ‘what the heck?’ & I tweeted him. He tweeted me back! Not only that, he ‘followed’ me! We actually had a conversation about the men’s ice skating costumes. I was sitting in my living room, tweeting with an HGTV star! And a great designer, I might add.

Oooh, this social networking thing is unbelievable! Old friends, new friends, celebrities. It just can’t get any better, can it?

Yes. It can. First some background. Back in the ‘90’s I was hooked on a design show on Discovery – The Christopher Lowell Show. Did any of you watch it? Forget 4 years of college – just watch Christopher. He’ll teach you everything about design & easy decorating.



So I had volunteered to write some decorating articles for Today’s Cliche – which I’m still writing, btw. (Now that I’ve posted this, I better get busy!) For me, the basis of any decorating starts with Christopher’s Seven Layers of Design.



I clicked on his website, reread the 7 Layers and saw he had a blog. I subscribed to his feed & then remembered Twitter. I just wonder if he’s on there . . .

Yep! There he is! And he’s tweeting! Ok, I think, I’ll follow him, just to see what he’s up to. Next thing I know I get an email that he’s following me! L’il ol’ me! Are you kidding? Then I see that for one week he’s following anyone that’s following him. I don’t care, tho. I’m still thrilled to be this close to him.

And last night I had Tweetdeck up while I was painting, and there he was. So I tweeted him. And he tweeted me back! I was like a gaga 11 year old! What do I say? What do I do? How can I possibly tell him in 140 characters how life-changing his show was to me?

Well, I played it cool, relatively speaking. Hey, Chris, how’s it going? Well, not those words exactly, but you know what I mean. Back & forth for a while – too exciting for words.

Then this morning, there they both are again – Angelo & Christopher! For a little ol’ gal from Placerville, this is as close to greatness as I’ve ever been.

So today’s appreciation is about social networking. I’ve found my BFF, new friends, and my decorating idols! Life is sweet.

Who have you connected with thru social networking? New friends? Old ones? That’d be a fun meme, wouldn’t it? Hmm . . .

Have a blessed Sunday!
Colleen