Sneak Peek Into Image Monthly

Image Monthly Membership-

Graphics that are appealing to the eye are important when it comes to blogging. Not only do they need to be appealing to the eye, but they should be social shareable friendly - you want people sharing your content! I don't always have time to look for graphics to use in a blog post. It can be time consuming looking through public domain images or using a site like Pixabay.com to find an image.

That's why I LOVE Kelly's Image Monthly subscription.

She launched back in 2014 (if I remember correctly, it was 2014) and I've been a subscriber ever since. It saves me time and that is priceless! It was a little challenging to try to put into words everything you get as a member.

Instead, I created a video to show you - I even showed you how quickly and easily you can add your domain name, text, etc. to the images they provide each month.

For me, it really is priceless to have a membership to Image Monthly. There are so many resources it comes with that I can't believe it's so inexpensive. Thankfully I'm grandfathered into the lower price because Kelly is raising the rate to $12.97 (per month) at the end of this month.

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If you think this resource could be beneficial, I encourage you to sign up now!

A quick recap because I didn't really mention this in the video, but I did show you all the images, etc. Each month you'll get a new issue of Image Monthly PLUS:

• 25 Royalty Free Stock Photos You Can Use Commercially
• 10 Engaging Quotes Designed In Beautiful Typography
• 5 Backgrounds & 5 Quote Bubble Templates

Again, I encourage you to SIGN UP NOW if you're even the littlest bit interested!

Side note: Word of caution - whatever you do, do NOT grab images from Google and use those - that's a big NO NO. You can end up getting sued, actually! Here are some posts that explain more:

• Blogger Beware: You CAN Get Sued For Using Photos You Don't Own on Your Blog
• Copyright Fair Use and How it Works for Online Images
• Copyright: why you can’t just use Google images

No Resolutions. Words Instead.

I don't know about you but setting New Year's resolutions has never worked for me. I'd get all excited towards of the end of a year and gung ho about going full force on New Year's Day with whatever resolution I had picked (90% of the time it was always about dieting and losing weight) and by the end of January (sometimes I didn't even make it a couple weeks!) I was right back to old habits. So, I gave up on setting resolutions several years ago. Then I switched to setting goals instead. And, well you can probably guess how that turned out. You're correct if you guessed a few weeks into a new year and I had given up on the goals too.

Then, a few years ago, I was introduced to picking a word for the year - a theme so to speak. And this has worked for me. Of course, I'm a rebel and I usually end up with three words each year instead of just one ;-) Although, this year only two words 'picked me'.

If you're interested in learning more about picking a word(s) for the year, You can see this year's post here.  (NOTE - the resource mentioned in the post is a little on the "airy fairy" side as it talks a lot about manifestation and things like that).

I used the resource mainly for page 11 - idea generator list. This is where my two words came from. And what I mean by they 'picked me' is that those two words jumped off the page, they tugged at my heart strings, and felt right.

My 2016 Word(s) of the Year

I'm a little less excited about these two words than I have been in previous years about my words. But I know it's a good thing these are my words this year. There are definitely some things I know God wants me to work on and the theme for 2016 is all about:

Focus & Clarity - I think those two words fit perfect for this year and things I have in mind :-)

Just for the fun of it, here are my words from a few previous years:

2015 words

• Adventure
• Choice
• Freedom

2014 words

• self love
• confidence
• change

Now, it's your turn!

Are you a resolution setter? Goal setter? Word picker? I want to know! Leave me a comment below...

Fun for adult coloring enthusiasts!

Back in July I needed a way to 'escape' reality. It had been three months since my, then four year old - now five, nephew Braylan had been diagnosed with leukemia. Around that time I started hearing about the adult coloring craze. Coloring was something I loved as a kid. Back then, I could get lost for hours with a coloring book and box of crayons. That's how I 'escaped' when I needed to as a kid...with a sometimes not so pleasant life.

So it didn't surprise me when I bought my first adult coloring book, how easily I was able to tune out everything around me and get lost in a stress-free, fun "kids" activity!

The Adult Coloring Craze 

Shortly after purchasing that first (and so far only one!) adult coloring book, along came Color Monthly - a really easy way to feed my coloring obsession! What I loved about this (and still love) is the fact that it's digital downloads, delivered monthly. So I get to pick and choose what ones I want to print out and color!

Then along came Color Monthly's premium packages - more coloring pages every month and a few other fun items to go with it. It didn't take me long to sign up for the subscription. I still pay every month to be a member...I love it that much.

If you're a coloring fanatic like me, then be sure to check out the Color Monthly 2016 All Access Gift Pass. For a one-time payment of just $37 you'll get access to ALL the color monthly premiere packs and extra packs too! (That's a value of up to $200!). The regular price will be $57 for this offer but if you act fast and purchase now you'll get the special price of just $37!

This would also make a perfect last minute gift for a coloring enthusiast friend or family member!

Let's recap real quick: 

Purchasing the 2016 All Access Pass gives you immediate access to all Color Monthly Premier Packages AND all Color Monthly Extra Packages we release from now until the end of 2016! That's a whole lot of stress-releasing, reality "escaping" fun to be had! ;-)

2 Free Blogging Planners and Calendars for 2016

I love this time of year. I get excited thinking about what the New Year is going to bring and what God has in store for me! I'm also addicted to planning...or maybe I should say I'm addicted to planners! ;-) I buy a few every year in hopes that this year I'll find the "perfect" one.

Usually the planners I end up purchasing don't work because they're not created with bloggers in mind. Thankfully I have some really smart online friends that have created some resources for us bloggers! Here are a few I like...

The Ultimate Blogging Binder 

I heard about this one back at the beginning of 2015. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I downloaded it and never did anything with it, eventually deleting it. I'm not even entirely sure I ever opened it! Recently I received an email that mentioned the blogging binder and I decided to download it again. I'm glad I did. It has a lot of resources in it - 264 pages worth!

Here is a sneak peek at what the ultimate blogging binder looks like and the specific pages I chose to download:

Click the image below to get your free copy of the ultimate blogging binder now!

2016 Blog Planner and Calendar 

My friend Lynette has been putting out a free resource every year (and has for the last 8 years!) that's been a huge hit with bloggers (myself included).

Here is a quick inside peek at what the blog planner/calendar looks like:

Click the image below to get your free copy of the 2016 blog planner and calendar now!

How about you? Do you have a favorite planner? I would love to know! Leave a comment below! 

Bloggers Blessing Braylan: Special Fundraising Event:

This is just a quick announcement to let you know about a special fundraising event taking place right here at Faithful Bloggers - Bloggers Blessing Braylan. It's taking place from November 23 through midnight November 30. This is my chance to help my brother's family in a small, but much needed way. But I can't do it without your help!

How can you help?

• grab your affiliate link and help spread the word
  • already an affiliate? login here!
  • not an affiliate yet? sign up here!
• make a donation of any amount here.
• purchase the special bundle package for $27 here.

Thanks for your support!

Tishia

Need Help Coming Up With Blog Posts? Try This!

Wondering what to blog about can be one of the biggest roadblocks we bloggers face! Today, I came across another article about coming up with blog post ideas. Most of the posts I read about this are pretty similar - they all offer a lot of the same tips for doing it that I'm already familiar with. But this post from Lynn Terry at Click Newz! had a suggestion I hadn't really thought about before. It's a great idea so I wanted to share it with you!

Here's a little blurb from her post:

Some of my absolute best blog posts have originated as responses to emails or discussions in forums & groups - or even phone calls. If you ENJOY your topic, you probably have no trouble talking about it if someone asks you a question. Whether it's in person, on the phone, via email or just a question you see somewhere on the web - the response likely comes natural for you without even thinking.

Wondering what the tip is? Head on over to Lynn's post How To Find GREAT Blog Post Ideas – Fast! and find out ;-)

Blog Tour Stop: Sheryl Siler from Cherished Magazine

I am excited to have Sheryl Siler with Cherished Magazine over to the Faithful Bloggers blog today to interview her.  She is founder and editor-in-chief of Cherished Magazine, a digital magazine that reminds Christian women they are chosen, cherished & loved.  She is taking Cherished Magazine on a Cherished Everyday Blog Tour Extravaganza this Fall. I know Sheryl from attending a few live events and I am happy to have her here on Faithful Bloggers to ask her a few questions.  Here we go:

Since we met at events, do you think it is beneficial to invest in attending in-person events where other bloggers hang out?

I absolutely do think it is beneficial to attend the "right for you " in person events. I attended a few at the beginning that weren't the right fit. I wish I could give a little bit of wisdom of what makes it right-for-you,  I'm sure that I can but I'll try.  Ask yourself if the people putting on the event are like-minded and a personality that you jive with?  Another great question to research is the content of the event something you are looking to learn?

The point I want to emphasize is don't go to an event just to go because beyond the learning at an event, you can create some great relationships that continue on past the conference.

How important do you think it is to have the support of other like-minded individuals that you meet at events or even online? 

For me being around other online marketers and bloggers really encouraged me to take action on my ideas.   Some ideas really weren't my fit but if I did't have the camaraderie of others doing the same things I were doing I wouldn't have ever launched Cherished Magazine.  At an in-person event, I shared my God-sized dream to a roomful of like-minded women.  I got such a warm response, encouraging words and lots of ideas for Cherished Magazine (You know.  You were there).  Many of those in that room that day contributed articles to the magazine.  I may not have had the gumption to "Go for it" if it hadn't been for those amazing ladies.

Tell us more about what you called your "God-sized" dream - what led you to start it, when did you launch?

Doing a digital magazine was something I took an add-on class  in at an in-person event.  I was just getting my feet wet blogging at GrowBloomInspire.com at that time and thought a magazine would be pretty cool.  I got really excited and then got back from the conference, life took over and I sat on the idea for about a year.

In January 2015, the idea surfaced again.  This time with a yearning and a more focused idea of wanting women to know that they are Cherished...not because of what they do but  because of who they are in Christ.  In February I attended that conference where I got brave and shared the idea and the "Go for it" mentality took over.  My first issue was released in May 2015.  You can actually get a coupon to get our first two published issues for free.  Just enter your name and email on the form and we will send it to you.

Now I heard you mention that you tried other things and some of them didn't fit.  What was one of the biggest "failures" you've had as a blogger and what did you learn from it?

Ohh..one of the biggest "failures" .... well honestly I didn't know what I wanted or who I wanted to speak to.  One big failure at the beginning was not taking enough time trying to figure out what it was I was meant to do.  I thought of doing a blog that focused on doing things with your kids because I was a stay at home mom but didn't really find a passion in that.  Then I thought "I like scrapbooking" so maybe something that included faith and scrapbooking...not it.    I say not knowing what I want was one of my biggest failures but I'm not sure being an editor-in-chief of a magazine, a speaker or an author would have been on those first dreams of what I wanted without those failed attempts of  trying to "do something online".

My second failure I would say is not being consistent with all the parts and pieces it takes to make blogging and promotion successful and then just quitting on the idea instead of coming up with a new plan.  In hindsight, I think I would try to do something daily, wouldn't be able to do that and then wind up sort of quitting all together.  I have learned that consistent may start out with doing something once a week and as things become routine and you are able to hire help, you can move to increasing the frequency.

Sheryl thanks for taking the time to answer my questions today.  I heard you were having a special yearly rate for the length of your blog tour.  How does someone get it?

Yes I do!  Just go over to the Cherished Everyday Fall Tour Extravaganza page here.  You will find the special as well as where we have been on the tour and where we have been next and information if you have a blog and would love to have me come on over for a blog post, interview, podcast guest or giveaway.

FotoJet Review

I was recently contacted by someone on PearlMountain Technology's team about a new free online collage maker  - FotoJet. Being that I'm as graphics challenged as I am, I'm always on the lookout for something quick and easy with templates I can edit to add my own text/images to use for social media posts, blog posts, etc. I've been using Canva for awhile and once I familiarized myself with their software, it was pretty simple to work with. But as I read this email about this new software, a few things caught my attention:

FotoJet is a free online collage maker that enables users to quickly create amazing photo cards, collages and posters without the hassles of downloading or installing. It’s as easy as 1,2,3 to use it:

• Choose from 320+ templates for collage, photo card, poster and social media to get started.
• Add photos and freely customize the collage as you wish.
• Freely save collage as JPG/PNG or directly share it via Facebook.

So, I decided to put FotoJet to the test...check out this screencast video as I use the FotoJet software for the first time:

Now that I've attempted to use their software that's "as easy as 1,2,3 to quickly create amazing collages, and more" - I can't help but chuckle. As you can see from the screencast video, I did not find it easy to work with. There were definitely some limiting capabilities (not being able to move text boxes was the biggest drawback for me). I may spend a little more time playing around with the software to see if I can figure things out better but my first reaction is to stick with what I already know - Canva - and pass on FotoJet.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Have you used FotoJet? Did you find it easy to work with? Any tips for me?

Where to Promote Christian Books

Recently I've started receiving some emails about promoting Christian Books. While I'm not opposed to reading and doing a book review (I love to read!), these particular requests were looking for something more - places to promote their books that would reach a larger audience. So it only made sense to find out what resources award-winning and internationally best-selling author and owner of  Author Audience Academy Shelley Hitz had in her 'rolodex' of tools.

She has a great blog post full of tons of places to promote your Christian book. I highly recommend you check out 100+ Places to Promote Christian Books.

Five Ways to Beat Writer's Block

The dreaded writer's block. At some point you've probably faced it - staring at a blank screen urging the words to come but they don't. When you're a blogger, podcaster, author or any kind of content creator this isn't a good thing. I'm always on the lookout for ways other people deal with writer's block. And today I wanted to share with you a post someone shared with me recently. While I'm not a fan of the 7 minute video (I'd rather have text to scan/read through than watch a video), she shares five great tips.

If you're stuck coming up with topics for your blog, podcast or other content head over to Rachel Rofe's blog and check out 5 oddball ways to get more topic ideas for your blog or podcast.

I'd love to hear your thoughts - what do you do to overcome writer's block? 

Let Go And Let God Coloring Page

Several weeks ago I shared a fun Christian Adult Coloring Page. It was a huge hit. Glad to know I'm not the only one that enjoys coloring ;-) So, I was thrilled to see that Women by Grace created another fun coloring page.

You can check it out and download your copy here:

Christian Adult Coloring Page: Let Go And Let God

Enjoy!

Coloring Isn't Just For Kids

When I was a little girl I loved to dump out and spread all over the floor a box of crayons and grab one of my many coloring books. I would get lost in the moment and before long hours had passed. Hours of outlining everything in black and then carefully choosing the perfect color to fill in the outlined shapes or characters. As I got older and grew up, coloring was for 'kids' and my box of Crayola crayons and coloring books were pushed to the back of my closet where they sat with other things I had gotten 'too old' for.

Who says coloring is just for kids?

I've started to embrace my love of coloring again recently. With adult coloring books all the rage lately, it seemed the perfect time to get back into it! Check Amazon for adult coloring books and you'll be greeted with numerous options to choose from - animals, beach scenes, flowers, and more!

Or why not just print out this free Christian Adult Coloring Page instead? I've got mine printed out and ready to go. I just need some new markers...guess I'll have to make a trip to the store this week, oh darn ;-)

Be blessed!

Tishia

Social Media Perceptions: How Do People See You?

SocialMediaSkews-300x225

Social media is a great way to stay in touch with out of town family and friends. It's also an excellent way to connect with your blog readers and build a relationship with them. But we have to be careful about the things we share and how we share them. Post one thing and ask five different people to tell you how they perceived the post, you'll likely get five different answers.  And that's what the author of How Social Media Skews Our View shares in her post. Here's a little snippet of what you'll find in the blog post:

... But these interactions confirmed for me that we often don’t truly know what is going on with another person. Our perception is a fraction of the truth. We see and hear only a small percentage of what encompasses the totality of their life, and we form judgments based on that fraction of their experience that we are privy to. ... 

Head on over to How Social Media Skews Our View now.  It's definitely worth taking a few minutes to read!

A Letter To All Women - Young and Old

Sorry guys, this one is for the gals (although, the content of the post can pertain to men too). It wasn't surprising that I needed a Kleenex when I came across Lessons from the Sidewalk {An Open Letter to ALL Women} today in my feed reader. I've always struggled with the 'just a...' syndrome. In the past, I was always just a single mom - that was my identity for 12 years. Then suddenly, when my son moved in full-time with his dad and step mom, I wasn't really a single mom anymore. I was a part-time parent...and my identity crisis started - suddenly I wasn't sure who I was anymore.

I'm 'just a...'

Over and over that's how conversations would go as I compared myself to those around me, feeling like I never measured up. I'd like to say I've gotten better about this - not comparing myself and saying things like 'just a...' but it's a continuous struggle. That's why I LOVED reading this post, today. Here's an excerpt:

You are EXACTLY as we need you to be.  So please don’t change.  We are so desperate for your story, for the way your life makes ours so much better.

So, gals - please take a few minutes to go read this. It's well worth the read and a good reminder for all of us!

Until next time... Tishia

Why Is Facebook Pulling The Wrong Image?

As bloggers we need to be sharing our content on Facebook. But have you ever created a post on Facebook and when you add the URL they pull an image that doesn't go with that blog post? Don't worry - you're not alone. It's a common complaint among bloggers and one of the workarounds many people have found is to manually upload the correct image:

While it's not a huge deal to just manually upload, there are other "correct" ways to do it. And my very smart tech savvy friend, Lynette Chandler of Tech Based Marketing shows you how to properly fix it.  Here's a blurb from her post How To Make Facebook Use The Image You Want:

Facebook (and other networks) rely on special meta tags to identify titles, descriptions, images etc. that are in your post. If your blog post or web page doesn’t have these special tags, they will take a guess. That’s the technical part. The good news is, you don’t have to write these tags (read code) by hand for each post – although you could if you wanted to, but why when there are easy tools available?

Head on over and read How To Make Facebook Use The Image You Want for instructions on how to set things up so Facebook now pulls the proper image.  

Until next time...

Tishia

Awesome April Update

A few weeks ago I posted, excited, about April and all the awesome things I was going to be doing. Things started off great. Things were going awesome and then bam! my world came to a screeching halt. On Monday, April 13th, at a little after 5pm, I received a phone call:

My mom: (sobbing, hard to understand) Tishia, Braylan has cancer

Me: (sobbing, heart racing, feeling sick to my stomach and can't catch my breath) NOOOOOOOOOO I screamed as my knees buckled and I dropped to the ground.

Braylan is my fun loving, energetic, full of life 4 year old nephew. At the time of that phone call, my brother, sister-in-law, Braylan and his 1 year old brother were on their way to a children's hospital about 3.5 hours away from where we live in Northern Michigan. When they went to their regular doctor to get results from Bray's recent blood work (he hadn't been feeling well), the doctor sent them immediately to the children's hospital. (the picture above is my brother and Bray Bray...on one of his good days at the children's hospital - which is AMAZING by the way)

The next 24 hours were a blur but I do remember not sleeping, not being able to stop crying and the anger I felt towards God. Yes, I'm angry with God. Yes I know it's not his fault and that being angry with Him is only hurting me...but that's a whole nother post for another day.

I can't believe the emotions just writing this has brought back. It feels like we're in a nightmare and I keep expecting to 'wake up' from it...except it's reality not a nightmare. We have a long journey ahead of us but the doctor's are very optimistic about his treatment plan and that his leukemia is curable and that he'll be in remission shortly. So right now, that's what I'm hanging onto.

So needless to say...Awesome April pretty much came to a halt. Being with my family has been more important than being awesome and working on the challenges I joined/was a part of. Slowly but surely I'm trying to find a 'normal' again and get back into the groove of my online business and doing what I love here at Faithful Bloggers - interacting with you on the forum, providing learning resource and more. Plus I even managed to get things going for the upcoming Faithful Bloggers Podcast which I'm so excited about!

If you would like to follow along on this journey, please check out his Facebook Page Braylan's Healing Journey. But most of all - please keep praying!

Until next time....

Tishia

Awesome April

Tishia here. I can't believe that April is already here. On one hand, I'm once again surprised at how quickly time goes by. It seems like not that long ago, we were ringing in the New Year. And then on the other hand, I'm glad April is here because it's full of all sorts of awesome!

30 Days of Awesomization 

First, I'm taking part in a 30 day movement all about awesomizing things (business, life and the world).  I heard about it a few weeks ago at a conference while listening to a keynote speaker talking about WWAYD (what would awesome you do).

I'm enjoying participating in this. It's all about making my business, my life and the world a better place. Yes, in just 30 days! It may not seem like much time but it's amazing how much awesome can happen in 30 days when each person participating is doing three awesome acts a day!

If you hurry there is still time to join us. Registration will be closed in a few days.

30 Days of Stretching 

Not in the physical sense ;-) I'm also participating in The Stretch Yourself Challenge. This is a challenge that Kelly puts on twice a year. Here's a brief description from her site:

The Stretch Yourself Challenge is a 30 Day Content Marketing Challenge held twice a year (April and October) with a goal of making your comfort zone a faint memory and your next goal a reality!

What I love about this is that there are several different challenges to choose from. You don't have to do them all, you can pick one and focus on just that during the challenge or you can do them all, it's up to you.  Each challenge gives you an idea of how long to spend on it and even tells you the intimidation factor.

Here's an example:

Challenge #1: Tell Everyone You're Stretching Calendar Space: One Afternoon Intimidation Factor: Small

Simply by writing this post, I'm taking action and doing challenge 1. There's more to be done for this though - sharing on Facebook and Twitter too.

I'll be checking in periodically during April to share what's going on, what I'm up to with each of these.

Time With God (Over a Lifetime)

 

Our devotional time with God varies with the seasons of our lives. Some of those seasons allow for indepth studies, while others allow for just short snatches of focused time. There isn't a "right" way to have devotional time. The most important thing is that we make the time to do it, even if for a just a few minutes at a time.

This blogger reminds us "He is a God of grace and meets us in the moment."

These days I am taking life slow with God. Sounds strange, I know. It has been almost two years since we had to leave our church of twenty years. For me, it has been devastating. I have tried to work through the pain as best as possible. I have worked on forgiving and getting myself emotionally healthy again. It has been quite the process. During this time, I have slowed down with God. That doesn't mean that I spend less time with Him. It just means that I am not going through a ton of Bible studies. Instead I am camping out on a verse or chapter a day. I started doing this with Thom Gardner's book, The Healing Journey. I needed reassurance that God still loved me even though I had been through severe rejection from fellow Christians. I would only do a verse or two a day and journal about them. His book taught me to focus on what God was really saying about me and His love for me.

Free Printables: Irish Blessings

For some people St. Patrick's Day can be just an excuse to get drunk but there is wonderful Christian history behind St. Patrick and traditional Irish blessings. This blogger has created some lovely printables of Irish prayers and blessings to enhance your St. Patrick's Day celebrations and add some seasonal (and spiritual!) festivity to your home.

Supporting A Friend Who Needs It

Ever had a friend dealing with a difficult situation that you wanted to show some love and support for - and just not know how to go about it?

It's easier and more practical than you'd guess.  Read this helpful post for great ideas you can put into action next time the need arises.