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On The Blog Market in May + a Reader Survey

05/29/2015 by Jennifer Leave a Comment

Hope you all have been enjoying the month of May! Since I’ve been splitting my time between here and The Blog Market, I thought it’d be cool to share my favorite posts of the month with you. If you haven’t been following along on TBM, I’ll update you a little on how it’s been going! We have long since removed the community forums from the site. I loved the idea of it but the reality was just not what we had hoped. It was a little glitchy and to be honest, we just weren’t taking enough time to keep it running. Without the forums, we have still been able to engage in so much community and we’ve connected with a ton of awesome readers and bloggers. I love how blogging is such a great means of communicating knowledge and general enthusiasm for creativity.

1. Angela wrote a thought-provoking post about creativity and building a brand. We are really obsessed with this quote. I feel like it’s a very prevalent struggle in the blogosphere.

2. I rounded up 6 favorite WordPress plugins related to social media! Some of them I’ve been using forever and others I am just beginning to explore.

3. This month I finally added share buttons to the bottom of posts in both Earl Grey and TBM! I wrote this post on how to customize your WordPress Jetpack sharing buttons using CSS to make them mesh well with your brand.

4. Have you been following Angela’s series on creating a DIY at-home photo studio? She finished it up this month and it is SO helpful.

A couple of other things…

As a way to build community and promote some blogs and small businesses we think are amazing, we have decided to offer sidebar ad spots. They are just a simple $10 each. Since we are still a growing blog, we’re making our advertising process cheap and to the point. If you want a little extra traffic your way, view our ad shop!

Finally, we are currently holding a reader survey to get a better idea of what people in the blog and design world really want. I would love it if you guys would fill it out! We’re opening an online shop this summer and so far this survey has been really helpful in helping us develop our products better. If you complete the survey, you can leave your email on the original post for a chance to win a free sidebar ad.

Have a good weekend & talk to you soon!

Indoor Plant Care Guides

05/20/2015 by Jennifer 7 Comments

The ladies I live with are all about plants, which is so wonderful because it keeps our apartment feeling green and alive. Unfortunately, I’m the definition of a plant killer. I don’t know a lot about plant care and I will sometimes forget to water a plant for…ever. One of my goals this year is to become a better plant momma. Thankfully, the internet is full of tips and guides to caring for plants in one’s home. Below are the most helpful indoor plant care guides I have gathered.

What kinds of plants do you have in (or outside of) your home?

Early Morning Rituals with Plum Deluxe

04/06/2015 by Jennifer 3 Comments

Do you ever have those mornings when your body wakes you up surprisingly early? As someone who loves to sleep in, this is very rare for me. But every now and then, I’ll wake up randomly around 5:30am and decide to stay up, having the most peaceful morning with one or two cups (um, giant mugs) of black tea.

Andy, who owns the tea studio Plum Deluxe in Portland OR, recently sent me some amazing nutty Oregon breakfast black tea! I’ve enjoyed this blend for many mornings now. It’s made with all organic chemical-free ingredients – black tea, honeybush tea (grown in the United States!), orange peels, hazelnut essence, love, and gratitude. :) It is so neat to know the specific ingredients rather than just hearing a generic “black tea” label.

Aside from the tasty tea blends, I love the inspiring story behind the company. Andy started Plum Deluxe with a mission to share the lessons he learned from his mother. While battling breast cancer, she celebrated each day with meaningful moments. Whether she was traveling, having spa days, or gathering with friends for dinner parties, she found all sorts of ways to love her life in spite of her circumstances. Goodness. That truly sounds like the best way to live life.

Plum Deluxe is all about creating moments that matter. I believe that so many beautiful moments can happen over a cup of tea. A little snippet from the website: “Plum Deluxe teas are unique in that they are handcrafted to create experiences that, for example, calm you after a tough day or provide a spark for fun conversation.” I seriously couldn’t agree more.

Visit the Plum Deluxe tea shop to learn all about their current delicious blends! If you’re a tea addict like me, you might also be interested in their Tea of the Month Club.

Thanks for letting me share my new obsession! Here’s to an inspiring week full of meaningful moments.

Spring Giveaway on The Blog Market

04/02/2015 by Jennifer 1 Comment

Hey guys! Remember me? To figure out my plans for Earl Grey, I took a 2 month long hiatus and I feel really great about it. Over the last several weeks I did make some decisions about this blog and there will be a little relaunch coming SOON! Yay.

In the mean time, I wanted to let you guys know about the giveaway Angela and I are hosting on The Blog Market this week to celebrate 500+ followers! We are both obsessed with pretty office supplies and wanted to share some of our favorite items with a TBM reader. Notice the words of wisdom on that notebook. ;)

To enter, click here. The giveaway will be open until next Wednesday the 8th. Good luck!!

On The Blog Market

02/04/2015 by Jennifer Leave a Comment

If you haven’t noticed, things have been a little slooowww around here since the launch of The Blog Market. Lately I’ve been writing there as well as working on a few design projects that I can’t wait to share with you. But in the mean time, here is a recap of what’s been goin’ on over at TBM.

1. I started sharing weekly coding tutorials and I’m always so happy to freely nerd out about CSS and HTML. My favorite tutorial to write has been this one on creating hover effects with CSS.

2. Exciting news! Angela, who blogs at If Found, Make., has joined me in co-running The Blog Market. We have been having so much fun strategizing and coming up with creative content for both bloggers and small business owners. As a freelancer and handmade shop owner, Angela knows a thing or two about running a business. One of my favorite posts she’s written so far is a collection of photography resources for Etsy sellers.

3. As a more simplified version of my collage screencast tutorial, I created this basic Photoshop tutorial on erasing product backgrounds. Perfect for if you’re a shop owner or if you just love creating roundups like I do. :)

4. Angela’s post 8 Reasons to Have more Fun with Your Blog totally resonated with me. Blogging should be fun, especially when it’s something you do in your free time and not your full-time job. However, sometimes we get so stressed out about the little things. In this post, Angela shows how having more fun with your blog can actually help your blog grow and flourish.

For more CSS tutorials and tips for bloggers/business owners, check out the full blog here!

Hope you’re all enjoying February so far. :)

Cleanin’ out my Closet

08/16/2014 by Jennifer 3 Comments

Hey friends! Happy Saturday. I just wanted to stop by quickly to let you know that I back on my Instagram shop, selling many vintage, Anthropologie, and UO items, as well as some slouchy beanies from my Etsy shop! Go check it out if you’d like on Instagram at @earlgreycloset. :)

I’ll be back next with a DIY project (say what?!) and some more good stuff. Have a beautiful weekend!