I’m sure most of you already know this, but in case you don’t, the  GFC widget (the followers thingy)  is being discontinued as of March for all non-blogger blogs ( go here for the official Google announcement) .  Apparently they want to promote their  Google+  service (which is more like Facebook than a subscription service).

That means all the blogs on WordPress (like this one) & Typepad will no longer have the followers widget on their sidebars that allow you to  subscribe to a blog’s RSS feed.

Google is not being really clear about what is going to happen to subscribers but from what I’ve read, any blogs you’ve followed with GFC that are non-Blogger blogs will no no longer show up in your Blogger Dashboard. Supposedly they will show up in your Google Reader (but we’ll have to wait and see about that) . Maybe they’ll be more forth coming with information as we get closer to the discontinuation date.

It may be a good idea to  look through the non-Blogger blogs you follow through GFC, and see if you’d  still like to subscribe to them in another way. It’s a good time to do a little blog spring cleaning!

Here are some ways you can subscribe :

You can click on the “Subscribe by RSS” button on the upper right of my sidebar.

You will then get this page:

Then you can choose Google Reader or Google Homepage.

Of course you can also choose any of the other subscription services. You can also choose to have posts delivered via Email.

There’s also a Follow with Bloglovin’ button on the upper right in my sidebar.

I’m thinking of re-instating my Facebook page since I know a lot of people use that to be notified of new posts (but haven’t decided yet).

I’ve heard conflicting things about GFC and blogspot blogs. I was just told that it would end but not for a few more months and then other’s are saying it won’t end (although I have a feeling they’re going to phase it out eventually for everyone since they want everyone to sign up for Google+).

So you can either change your subscription now or wait to see what happens. I’m sure you’re going to read more and more about this in the coming months. BTW, I removed the GFC widget from my blog  a few months ago.

Also, Picnik is closing April 19th!  So many changes!

UPrinting, a leading online printing company,  is offering one ACN reader a 16” x 20” rolled canvas print of your choice.  Their canvas prints are available with a 2-inch border or no border, and they offer one business-day turnaround and free shipping.*

******THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED****************

Of course the  canvas prints are wonderful for special day photos such as wedding photos, anniversary photos, family photos,  senior portraits, baby/baptism photos, but also any photo like a beautiful shot of your garden or a stunning architectural shot.  You can also have  artwork made into a canvas print. I’d use one of my daughter’s original pieces of art.

UPrinting is an eco friendly company that uses vegetable and soy based inks. They also offer paper options that contain up to 55% post-consumer recycled content. To top it all off, the remaining content comes from sources that practice sustainable forestry!

To enter: leave a comment on this post.

Giveaway closes: Thursday 10 PM EST

The winner will be drawn randomly and announced Friday September 9. If I haven’t heard back from the winner by Sunday then a new winner will be chosen so please either leave a way for me to contact you or be sure to check back here on Friday.

Restrictions: Limited to *US residents 18 years old and above only.

Also, you are not eligible if you have already won this same giveaway somewhere else  in the past 6 months.

This canvas printing giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given for hosting. Check out UPrinting.com for more details about  canvas sizes.

A Cultivated Nest (ACN) is now on Facebook!

I realized that it’s much easier and quicker to post a photo and give updates on what I’m doing on Facebook than to always write a post about it.  We have a lot going on right now. Everything from turning our family room into a bedroom & studio for my Animation Major daughter (who needs space for all those harddrives she needs to hook up)  to expanding the vegetable garden, painting the barn, putting in a frog pond, I’m starting my slipcover project this weekend. Oh there are so many things I want to share with you but I just don’t always have time to take lots of photos to post here.  It’s just easier to post an update on Facebook (I think/hope) and hopefully it’ll be fun way for us all to interact! I’ll still be posting here of course.

On my sidebar is a widget that will hopefully link you to the ACN page. Let me know if it doesn’t – it’s been doing different things on different browsers – sort of like the Google Friend Connect widget. Which is sometimes there and sometimes is just a blank box depending on it’s mood.

Or use  this direct link

So head on over there if you want to know what I’m doing today…

” …planting loofahs….”

See you there!

Hi everyone! Hope you are all having a lovely weekend! I had a really nice break and didn’t get to half of the things on my to do list, but that’s o.k. I’m finding that I want to slow down from the daily incessant busyness that used to drive me. Having a blog can lead to having a certain pressure to produce. You need to produce so that you have content to photograph and post about! It can be a good motivating thing and it can be a bad thing. It can motivate you to do projects you would have done anyway or it can drive you to do projects just for the sake of doing a project and having something to blog about.  I’m going to try to keep it in the good motivating category.  Besides I want to enjoy the process and I find that if I rush to finish something just to have something to post about it takes all the fun out of it for me.

Hi everyone! Hope you are all having a lovely weekend! I had a really nice break and didn’t get to half of the things on my to do list, but that’s o.k. I’m finding that I want to slow down from the daily incessant busyness that used to drive me. Having a blog can lead to having a certain pressure to produce. You need to produce so that you have content to photograph and post about! It can be a good motivating thing and it can be a bad thing. It can motivate you to do projects you would have done anyway or it can drive you to do projects just for the sake of doing a project and having something to blog about.  I’m going to try to keep it in the good motivating category.  Besides I want to enjoy the process and I find that if I rush to finish something just to have something to post about it takes all the fun out of it for me.

I consider myself a high energy person but I really think that constant activity isn’t good for the soul. I think a lot of people are addicted to busyness. It’s almost like it becomes a badge of honor or a status symbol. I once offered a neighbor of mine a stack of decorating magazines and her reply was  oh no, she was too busy to read those types of things. She also has told me that she’s too busy to plant flowers.  Maybe she is. I don’t know. I can’t imagine being too busy. I can understand not wanting to, having no interest in it. But we are all at different places in our lives so who knows?

I consider myself a high energy person but I really think that constant activity isn’t good for the soul. I think a lot of people are addicted to busyness. It’s almost like it becomes a badge of honor or a status symbol. I once offered a neighbor of mine a stack of decorating magazines and her reply was  oh no, she was too busy to read those types of things. She also has told me that she’s too busy to plant flowers.  Maybe she is. I don’t know. I can’t imagine being too busy. I can understand not wanting to, having no interest in it. But we are all at different places in our lives so who knows?

Last week when I was taking a break from blogging,  I sat and watched my daughter play a video game  and didn’t even think about blogging! Normally I would have watched her and cheered her on for a while and then I’d start to think about blog topics and projects that I’d want to do or had to finish or had to photograph or a post I had to finish writing and what I was going to say etc. At some point my mind would wander to blogging. I don’t want my mind to wander that way. I want to be there 100%, enjoy that moment 100% not 75%. Do you find that happens to you? Do you find yourself thinking about blogging when your mind should really be focused on something/someone else?
Last week when I was taking a break from blogging,  I sat and watched my daughter play a video game  and didn’t even think about blogging! Normally I would have watched her and cheered her on for a while and then I’d start to think about blog topics and projects that I’d want to do or had to finish or had to photograph or a post I had to finish writing and what I was going to say etc. At some point my mind would wander to blogging. I don’t want my mind to wander that way. I want to be there 100%, enjoy that moment 100% not 75%. Do you find that happens to you? Do you find yourself thinking about blogging when your mind should really be focused on something/someone else?
I don’t want to be like that. I want to really be in the moment, whatever that moment might be – even if it’s something mundane like washing the dishes or sweeping the floor. To take joy in the simple everyday activities of my life as well as the bigger more spectacular things that happen.To slow down and really enjoy life- real life.

I don’t want to be like that. I want to really be in the moment, whatever that moment might be – even if it’s something mundane like washing the dishes or sweeping the floor. To take joy in the simple everyday activities of my life as well as the bigger more spectacular things that happen.To slow down and really enjoy life- real life.

I know that when you read those posts about “how to have a successful blog” (what exactly does that mean anyway – success defined by who), it’s recommended that you post on a consistent schedule and I’ve always tried to post at least  4 days a week. Kudos to those who do it everyday! There’s so much work and time that goes into blogging – I don’t know how they do it.

Anyway, I’ve decided that I’m just going to post now when I really feel like sharing something and when I’m naturally ready to do so. No more rushing to finish something to have it ready for “so and so’s linky party” etc. No posts just because I post 4 days a week and need to post something.

So there may be a post from me everyday or there may be one once a week, or maybe once a month or maybe two posts a day  – who knows LOL! From now on I’m just going to do it when I really feel like it.

I really appreciate that there are so many of you who take time out of your day to stop by and visit with me. That’s something I don’t take for granted! I hope that you’ll continue to do so even if I post sporadically.

You know I try to keep this a happy & positive place, but something has been bothering me for months now and I really need to say something.

I recently noticed some, what I considered odd, activity on my blog and found a persons blog who’s blog is really nothing more than using other people’s ideas and I mean EXACTLY with no change whatesoever as if they were her own. For a moment I thought she used one of my pictures as her own, the project  was so exact. Not only did I see projects that I have done, but I saw projects that I know others have done. Recent projects and older ones. Without even saying…. I was inspired by…., I got the idea from….., nothing. Project after project. No link back, no  I saw it on so and so’s blog, not even I saw it on a blog but I don’t know who’s. Nothing. Just post after post of projects as if they were all her own ideas. And from what I could tell she had no original ideas. She does do all the projects, she just never mentions where she gets all her fabulous ideas. And she’s not the only one who does this.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing a project you’ve seen on another’s blog and yes more than one person can have a similar idea at the same time. I’m also not saying you have to ask permission to use an idea because that would just be crazy! I also understand not keeping links to everything you’ve ever seen that inspires you. But, when you are  systematically going through blogs and using idea after idea without giving credit. Post after post. I have a problem with that. Because that’s obviously your plan of how you are going to operate your blog and that is just… wrong.

I know that people may have time constraints and can’t always take the time to find the link and insert it in a post. But I think everyone would appreciate a mention if not a link back if possible. To me that’s just common courtesy.

I used to think we were all here to inspire and motivate each other. But I’ve noticed that with the advent of the whole “Followers” thing that the atmosphere has changed in the blog world. Are we really so anxious to have the most “Followers” that we’re willing to do anything? Is making money off your blog really that important? Is being a “popular” blog what you really want? Is blogging that important in your life? Should it be that important?

One more thing about “Followers”, why do “Followers” always get extra entries in giveaways? Why aren’t other subscription services included? Why is it only important if I “Follow” and not if I read your blog on Bloglines, Google Reader or get your posts emailed to me? Is it because that’s the number that’s available for the world to see? If you want to reward people that subscribe to your blog shouldn’t it be ALL the people that subscribe?  I could do a whole post about the whole “Followers” issue! It took me six months to even put that widget on my blog and I’m seriously considering removing it.

I’m not  perfect. I have forgotten where I’ve gotten ideas from or I can’t find the link, don’t have time to look etc. But I don’t do it all the time. I do my best to give credit because I don’t feel it diminishes me as a creative person to be inspired by someone else. I don’t feel like I have to have all the great ideas. Also, I’m happy if you like my blog enough not to want to miss a post and subscribe but I’m not going to be in the depths of despair if you don’t.

Let’s try to be supportive of each other and not be so competitive and everything that goes with that. Be kind, be courteous. Treat others as you would like to be treated in real life and in the blog world.

O.K. glad I got that off my chest! More Christmas decorating photos on Thursday.