what our blog wants to be when it grows up

Welcome to the very first DTTD imagine.design.create blog post!

And what better way to kick off a brand new blog than by participating in a great blog-hop party called What does your blog want to be when it grows up?, hosted by these five lovely ladies (and a few others)…

Kelly @ Eclectically Vintage | Karah @ the space between | Linda @ it all started with paint
KariAnne @ Thistlewood Farm | Andrea @ The Cottage Market

The timing couldn’t be any better for our blog – DTTD – to tell us what it wants to be when it grows up, seeing as it’s officially a brand new baby blog, born today :-)  We’ve named it DTTD imagine.design.create, but like any cool & hip blog it wants to have a cool & hip nickname. Create D Flava a.k.a. Spunky Squeeze is a bit of a mouthful, so we settled on DTTD

If you haven’t been with us from the very beginning, here’s a super-brief synopsis of how DTTD came to be.

• January 2009, Kelly & Victoria launch DesignTies together. We always called it DT :-)
• October 2010, Victoria decides to step back from blogging, DT is retired and Kelly launches JAX does design.
• May 2011, Victoria tip-toes back into blogging and launches Edin’s House.
• November 2011, Kelly is lonely and wants her blog buddy back. Victoria’s tip-toe style of blogging works better with an enthusiastic, creative and prolific writer like Kelly and so she readily agrees to a renewed partnership!
• March 2012, Kelly & Victoria launch DTTD – which is our funky way of saying DesignTies2 with less letters :-)

And as for the imagine.design.create tagline – that’s what DTTD is going to be all about. Which brings us back to the original topic: what does our blog want to be when it grows up?

 

Well, let’s ask it!

Alrighty then… guess that pretty much sums up DTTD’s personal perspective!

 

Now let’s see what Kelly’s top five goals for DTTD are…

 

1. Design world domination. Are you sensing a theme here? ;-) Well, OK, seeing as that isn’t likely to happen, I’ll take a moderate amount of fame and glory :-) Hey, I’m not doing this for the money, I’ve gotta get SOMETHING out of it! I really want DTTD to hang out with the big kids in the blog playground. I know that’s a lot to hope for, but if you’re going to dream, I say dream big!

 

2. Build my business, JAX Decor & Design. One thing I’ve learned is that if I want to build my business, I need to put my business out there and show people my design work. I’m not the kind to toot my own horn, but if nobody else will toot it for me, then I better start tooting it myself. So, be sure to head over to my JAX Decor & Design Facebook page and my JAX Decor & Design web site!

3. Have pen, will write. I’ve been writing ever since I could pick up a pencil and sort out the alphabet. I have a BA in English, and my day job for the past 12 years has been technical writing. I want to combine my love for writing with my passion for design – are you listening House & Home and Style At Home?! Yes, I know you’re competitors, but I have to cover all my bases. I’m nonpartisan like that.

 

4. authenticity.branding.consistency. Be myself (minus the road rage potty mouth), keep focused, stay on-topic. Even if I want to tell you all about the amazing healthy Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Pie that is TO DIE FOR, I won’t. Because this isn’t a food blog, this is a design blog!

{Cripes, day 1 and goal #3 is already out the window. But you’ll thank me for it, trust me!}

 

5. To be inspired and to be inspiring. There are so many awesome, talented, creative design bloggers out there. I’m inspired by things I see on blogs every day, and I want to do the same for everyone who visits DTTD. Here’s just one example – my bubble light fixture inspired by Jenna at Homeslice.

 

And what about Victoria’s goals for DTTD?

 

Well lovely DTTD readers, I’ve never been very good at writing out specific goals. I’m more of a capital P Plan Chickie! An admission: with a kind of undefined, greyish plan in place to do what I love, I left my job of 9+ years just 2 weeks ago! Eeeek!! Yep. My husband thinks “eeeek!!” too. He’s very mortgage focused ;-)

 

Now given that my plan is still murky, grey and grainy, I suppose it’s timely that I’m “forced” (by Kelly; she’s a task master!) to write down some goals for our lovingly resurrected DesignTies blog… especially since we want DT to transform into the more imaginative, design-focused and creative DTTD!

 

So with our tagline in mind – imagine.design.create – I share with you my goals for DTTD

 

Imagine. I believe that both Kelly and I are very imaginative and that our imagination will be reflected in what we bring to our DTTD readers. The question is what can we imagine and – more importantly – how ORIGINAL will our imaginings be? Therein lies my goal… originality in my imaginings! The blog-iverse is filled with imaginative bloggers. DTTD needs to be seen as a blog where our readers can find original, imaginative content. We can’t always achieve this goal, but we can push ourselves; we can strive for the originality that not only bring readers back, but continues to nourish our art, design and blog posts :-)

 

Design. Whether it be the projects we complete, the products we find (or make!) or the story boards we’re inspired to create, we’ll share all that we love about design! Kelly is a great writer, and she finds it extremely easy to do. Me… not so much!! My goal will be to share my love of design with our DTTD readers at least twice each week.

 

Create. I have so many things I want to create, so many projects either on the go or stuck in my head! For me – and for DTTD – I will get my projects done! I will start my new projects. I will create what I imagine! :-)  And I’ll write about them. More importantly (to me anyway), I’ll buy a new camera and learn to use it well so that my photos do my projects credit!!! Hahaha!

 

A personal goal… I’m in the process of creating a home goods product line called EdinHome’s edie+tori collection. Art and graphic prints will be my primary focus for now. I’m taking some favourite creations made by my Mom, Laura Lambert Petrie, and reproducing them in a few different mediums – prints for framing, prints on canvas, ResinArt, perhaps colour block prints and definitely cards. I’ll also reproduce some of my photography for ResinArt and a few of my brother Brad Lambert’s illustrations. I’m currently preparing for the Scout Handmade + Vintage Market (hosted by Birch + Bird), and I plan (capital P Plan LOL!) on opening an Etsy store soon. Future products: designer pillows, original art, bowls, refinished vintage finds… what ever I put the edie+tori collection name on will be handmade or designed by me.

There! By sharing with the world I’ve just committed to my Plan… my Goal!

No turning back now! Happiness!!

 

Kelly and I will be working individually and together to achieve our DTTD goals. We hope all readers will be inspired by all that we have to share as we imagine.design.create!

 

 

 

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