July was an incredible month for me in Portland and in Blogland. Portland is still wonderful, but I do miss my family more than I can say. My mom and Copper visited this week which was a blast, and my dad and sisters came up earlier this month. I’m happy they aren’t too far away. Saying goodbye is still always the saddest. As far as blogging goes, I feel like I am finally realizing what I’m most passionate about and how to share that with others (you!). I also have been loving the community around here lately. I’m feeling thankful for genuine blog friendships and connections.

1. Near the beginning of the month, I created a CSS Cheat Sheet, along with a basic introduction to the world of CSS. The next week, I shared some ideas of how to creatively customize your navigation menu. There’s something real magical about understanding basic web design and being in control of your whole blog. I can’t wait to share more blog design tutorials with you guys. I have something pretty exciting in the works!

2. I also moved into my studio apartment! I still can’t believe I live by myself and it’s surprising how much I enjoy it. Living alone has made me more motivated to go out and make friends. I’m still working on making the studio look nice but I’ve made some progress (those ugly curtains are gone!). If you want to see more interior updates, follow along on Instagram!

3. Arro Home, or as I like to call it “the Disneyland of home goods stores”, opened up in Australia recently. I loved exploring their website and creating a collage of my favorite products.

4. In addition to sharing blog design tutorials, I’m also happy to be sharing more general resources for bloggers. Some of my new favorite blogs are ones that consistently share helpful, honest advice for bloggers. I believe the best advice is rooted in personal experience.

5. Speaking of collages (#3), I made a video tutorial sharing my collage-making process. I used Photoshop for the tutorial, but I know there are many free programs that allow you to work with images in similar ways.

6. In July, I found myself crushing on round mirrors. I have a couple of cute rectangular mirrors already so I think I’m set for now, but if anyone offered me a pretty round mirror I’d happily accept.

7. I have been in a watercolor mood lately, so I gathered my very favorite watercolor tutorials for a colorful roundup post.

8. For the quickest second, I thought I might be into primary colors. Primary modernism is a very stylish interior trend lately, but I think I’ll admire it from afar before adding any red/yellow/blue combinations to my home.

9. Finally, Tuesday was Eames Appreciation Day! At least that’s what I decided. I might never get tired of those beautiful chairs.

So, what were your favorite parts of July? Did the month go by extremely fast for you too?