What to expect this year on the blog

Hallelujah!

After 18 days off, the children went back to school today.  I thought these "cold" days of no school would be a challenge: the phone ringing off the hook with clients ready to get moving again, stir crazy children jumping all over me, a total working-mom clash.  Instead, my clients seem to be easing back into things too, and my girls continued to happily entertain themselves, and I got to catch up on some things.  Like sorting and scanning the huge pile of kid art that has been blocking a filing cabinet for months.

I also pulled together all my notes for blog posts, which gave me an opportunity to think about what I want to share with you this year.  I'd like to keep my regular series going, like Art You Can Afford, Two Ways, and Reader Design Dilemmas (have one?  Send it my way.)  In addition, I'm toying with the following:

It Always Works
The more design work I do, the more I realize that I rely on certain staples.  I work with clients with a range of tastes and styles, yet there are items I come back to again and again in ANY space.  I'll share some of these items and show you why it always works.

New to Me
Sometimes I don't blog about cool products or ideas I come across because I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't know about it yet.  Guess what?  Untrue.  This will be a place to share products that I think you might like that were new to me--and might be to you, too.

8 ways
I like versatility, and my job keeps me thinking about what to do with interesting pieces (a vintage textile, a carved stool) or how to fill unused spaces (the end of the bed, the end of a hallway.)  This series will take these items of spaces and show you 8 ways to use them.

Making the Most of
Another theme I've noticed in my work is that most of my clients can't afford to (or don't want to) make major changes to their architecture or finishes.  So I have to decide: do I mask the problem or make the most of it?  This is another series where I would love input from readers.  If you have something awkward in your home that you can't change, send me a photo and tell me a ll about it; chances are, you're not alone!  I may be able to help.

Redesign
As I grow my business, it's time to invest in some improvement.  This year, this means professional photography of projects and a redesigned website and blog.  I may also finally talk to one of those companies that is always emailing me about increasing my SEO and being smart about getting the blog out there to grow the audience.  It's a lot of work to write and manage a blog--I may as well reach more people, right?

What else?
If you are a regular reader and want more of something, or miss some category of content that I am slacking on, let me know.  Email me heather@heatherpetersondesign.com

I hope this sounds good to you.  I am excited!

Heather