It’s time to reflect and celebrate!
Six years ago I began something unexpected at the suggestion of a friend: I started a blog. I had no experience with blogging and needed a lot of encouragement to get started, but I finally set up a free WordPress site and wrote my first post.
At the very beginning the blog looked very simple. I didn’t have expectations or a plan. I hadn’t even read other blogs, so I was learning as I went. In those early days blogging felt more like sharing life than building a business. There were no social networks driving traffic, no Pinterest graphics—just honest posts and the hope that a few readers might discover them.
A peek at an early “reveal” post
About a month into blogging I shared my kitchen from the original house I lived in as a blogger. The photos were small, unedited, and un-staged—there wasn’t even a pinnable graphic. It felt awkward to post, but readers connected with the realness of it. Back then we didn’t rely on staging, polished photography, or social promotions. Today producing and promoting a single room reveal can feel like a full-time job. I miss the simplicity of those early posts, but I’m grateful for the lessons learned along the way.
I had already started a decorating business called The Inspired Room before blogging. My initial aim with the blog was to share decorating principles, homemaking philosophy, and glimpses of my life and home. That focus has stayed consistent even as the blog evolved into something much bigger.
Over these six years so much has changed: my children have grown, my daughters finished college, our son moved from age seven to thirteen, we experienced pet losses and additions, faced financial challenges, moved states, helped start a new church, traveled, weathered medical emergencies, and continued decorating, remodeling, and writing. It’s been a lot, and the blog recorded it all.
What began as a hobby gradually became my livelihood and passion. Blogging opened doors I hadn’t imagined and allowed me to build a sustainable home-based business that supports our family. It wasn’t luck so much as steady effort, learning from mistakes, and persisting through setbacks.
I asked readers on Facebook what they wanted to hear for the six-year anniversary and tried to answer several of those questions here.
What are my biggest failures and successes in blogging?
Three blogging missteps:
1. Evolving to monetize too slowly. Early attempts to add ads caused pushback from readers in a community that wasn’t used to monetized blogs. The ads didn’t take off immediately, but I persisted because I needed to justify the time I poured into the blog. Over time monetization became standard practice and helped sustain the work.
2. Technical SEO mistakes. In my eagerness to create pretty posts, I used heading fonts and styles that confused search engines, which negatively affected search traffic for years. That taught me how important it is to make Google happy from the start when blogging with a business in mind.
3. Image naming and storage issues. For years my images were stored on Flickr and had generic file names like IMG_3234. When Pinterest and image search became important, those filenames and storage choices cost me traffic. I’m still working through replacing and renaming images to be more useful and discoverable. The takeaway: meaningful image names and proper hosting matter for long-term success.
These mistakes were part of learning: trying, failing, fixing, and moving forward. Over time I learned enough to take the next step and improve the blog’s reach and usefulness.
One favorite post
One of the posts I still laugh about features a less-than-glamorous moment—the dead giraffe and my son’s underwear on his head. Real life, messy and funny, is often what readers connect with most.
Three meaningful opportunities from blogging
1) A successful home-based business. The blog has enabled me to work with great people and brands and has provided financial stability. It also allows my family to volunteer at our church without relying on church salary. I employ my daughters part-time so we can work together—something I truly enjoy.
2) Writing a book. The book I mentioned in the very first post is finally happening. I’ve learned so much since I first started and those years of experience are helping me create a much better book now.
3) Magazine recognition. Years after writing about my “magazine cover-itis,” my most recent kitchen remodel will be photographed for a Better Homes & Gardens feature. That opportunity is exciting and a little nerve-wracking, but it’s a wonderful milestone.
How do I stay enthusiastic after six years?
My enthusiasm comes from writing about what I truly love. I share life, decorating, and homemaking from a genuine place. If I tried to be someone else or focus on topics I didn’t care about, I would burn out quickly. I balance online life with real-life experiences so I have fresh things to share, and that keeps the blog meaningful.
But the biggest motivator is you. Reader comments that make me laugh, encourage me, or offer thoughtful insight feel like morning coffee with friends. Your kindness and engagement make this journey fun and worthwhile. I’m deeply grateful to everyone who reads, comments, and supports the blog.
What’s next?
In addition to the book and the magazine feature, there are more projects and developments planned for The Inspired Room in the coming year. I’m excited to continue growing and sharing the journey.
Onward to the next six years!