Counting Down to the Blogiversary: Why DIY Blogging Can Be Helpful

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As I am counting down to my blogiversary on April 1st (!!!), I have been taking note of why I enjoy writing about my home improvements. While some of them are pretty self-explanatory, a few things came out of it that I’m rather surprised about. In fact, the blog (or more specifically, the pictures I take for the blog) has come in handy when shopping more than once.

Last Christmas, I was on a run to Lowe’s to find a way to hang a large wreath outside the house but didn’t know what exactly would make it work. A large hook? Some kind of elaborate pulley system? Scott standing outside on a ladder and holding the wreath from 5PM to 10PM each day? A quick glance at the  photos from a blog post provided enough visual help to the associate I spoke with that he brought me to a section of large suction hook wreath holders.

Just recently, I was on the hunt for kitchen hardware (hey, I bought the paint, and in my mind that’s the equivalent of needing hardware since my kitchen is thisclose to being finished). Despite being in my kitchen, oh, a million times in the last year, staring at the overwhelming options of drawer pulls suddenly made me completely forget how many drawers I have, and therefore how many pulls I would need. So, I used my trusty phone (I’m one of those peeps that doesn’t own an iPhone nor do I plan to; I like my Palm Pre smartphone and all of its screen swooshiness with a flick of my finger) to pull up yet another blog post and examine each photo I have ever taken of my kitchen. And now I know exactly how many drawer pulls I need (6) and how many door handles (6) I should throw into my cart.

One could easily argue that neither of the above situations require a blog, and that’s true. But, if it weren’t for my blog, I wouldn’t be spending my evening hours (made up word alert) shutterbugging away. I wouldn’t have fifteen photos of my kitchen from every possible angle. I wouldn’t have nearly as many in progress shots – only befores and afters on my personal Facebook page for my friends (which was my original intention before a friend suggested I start blogging about it).

I also wouldn’t have had a quick resource at my fingertips to remember the name of the paint I used in my craft studio (see, even now I can’t remember; I’ll have to look back at the post to know for sure!).

And honestly, I wouldn’t have some of the great memories that I now have logged away forever. I can see my first house (remember, this place will eat my dust in a few short years) as the place where I realized I have a superhero in my family; where I learned that I have unforeseen talents, and where I learned that the former owner of my house never cleaned behind her stove. Okay, so maybe that last one shouldn’t be photo documented, but it’s a memory nonetheless.

If you don’t have a blog yourself and are remodeling a home, I’m not insisting that you start one. I would instead like to suggest to everyone that you should get yourself into the habit of taking pictures of nearly everything you do. Always take your camera with you instead of assuming that someone else will have a camera. I realized too late how little of photos I took in college, and now I regret all the memories I lost but feel I would have if only I’d brought my camera. Especially since it’s one of those times in life where brain cells tend to get zapped. I mean, c’mon… it was the era of Jell-O kiddie pool wrestling (no, I never did, but I definitely required a drink after witnessing that mess). So, I guess what I’m saying is that you should get out there, photograph it, and worry about deleting what doesn’t matter from your memory card later. And enjoy your first (or second, or millionth) house memories and all the work it took to get you the home you love.