Holidays are never long enough and mine was no exception! My holiday is over and it’s back to work for me today but before I dive in, I need to make an important announcement. Build Me A Blog will be temporarily closing until to further notice. This decision has come about due to us selling our family home in Mackay and purchasing another home in Emerald. We’ve decided to sell with no agent which is a bit scary but also seems like a great challenge that I’m willing to accept and a project I will need to put all the spare time I have into.

I will still be completing all current orders and will still be offering support to past clients but I won’t be taking on any more projects until we are settled in our new home. The timeframe at this stage is undetermined as it will depend on how long it takes to sell our house and to move all our belongings to Emerald. I will still have the website and Facebook page running for enquiries but won’t be taking on any orders.

I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and I’m more than happy to answer any questions you may have. I will advise via this website and the Facebook page when I’m back up and running again. I absolutely love what I do and I thank you so much for your patience and support and look forward to being able to build more blogs in the very near future!

Amanda

I am hoping to have all pending orders completed or at least near completion over this weekend but can’t guarantee this. During this period I will endeavour to reply to all emails when I can and will be available on the mobile for any dire emergencies.

I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience and support!

Amanda

If you’d like to learn more about BMAB, check out our interview here! Thanks Cas & Erica. :)

When I started BMAB back in February of this year, I never imagined how well it would take off. Literally hours after the launch, I had inquiry after inquiry and then order after order. It was very exciting but also a bit overwhelming and I wasn’t quite sure how to deal with the influx so I did what I do best. I simply dove in head first to get the job done but in hindsight, that wasn’t the smartest idea as there was somewhat of a lack of organisation and I began to struggle.

I’m now slowly beginning to find my feet but to prevent this from happening again, I’m not taking on any more orders until the 1st July so I can catch up on my current projects and give my clients the time and dedication they deserve. I’m also introducing the first of my time management plans called ‘Tech Support Tuesday’. Tuesday’s are now dedicated to answering your questions via email/Facebook/Twitter, doing any updates or upgrades on client sites and completing any outstanding support tickets lodged by clients as these are quite often (unintentionally!) overlooked in favour of the larger projects at hand.

As a busy mother of three children under four, my working time is very limited and I need to use it wisely. I want to be able to grow my little business and provide the best level of service that I possibly can and I believe by just taking it one day at a time, I’ll get there eventually. :)

I love scented candles. I have more than I could ever use on my bookshelf and yet I continue to buy more so you could imagine my, well, delight (hehe!) when Kym asked me to build her a new eCommerce store for her natural candles and soap making business, Scented Delites. Just reading the delicious list of Scents alone made my mouth water before I even got to see all the gorgeous photos of her work!

This isn’t the first time I’ve worked with Kym. I also built her other website for Little Monkeys Kidswear. Thanks for choosing me again to build your new site Kym. It was wonderful to be able to work with you again! :)

Scented Delites is based on the Corporate theme by Studiopress.

I’ll admit, I was so excited when the lovely Lisa of Sweet Dream Cakes asked me to build her a new website as I have somewhat of a fascination with the type of cakes she makes and couldn’t wait to see it all come together. I wasn’t alone on this project though as Nat, the very creative graphic designer and good friend of mine, from NattyJane Designs did all the graphics for this one and did a fantastic job at that!

Thank you for your support and patience with me Lisa. It was such a pleasure working with you. You are definitely one talented cake decorator (your testimonials don’t lie!). It was also fun working with you too Nat and I can’t wait to unveil the next of our joint projects! :)

Sweet Dream Cakes is based on the Pretty Young Thing theme by Studiopress.

You’ve decided to take the plunge and start a personal blog but now you don’t know what to write about. One of the main reasons people start a blog in the first place is to write about something they are passionate about, so a good starting point would be your own experience with something you love. The majority of blogs around these days are personal blogs, like online journals. My personal blog is mainly about my family and includes posts about the trials and tribulations of raising my boys, the mischief they get up to, activities we do as a family, the food we eat and more. I don’t consider my life to be captivating reading but still, I have a strong loyal audience as people can relate to my situation. Of course I do write about other topics including my work, my favourite gadgets and my photography attempts just to mix it up a bit, but I write about these things because they mean a lot to me and it’s easy to write about something you love. So in no particular order, here’s a few ideas to help get you blogging!

1. Personal Journey’s
My very first blog was created in 2006 and was all about the journey throughout my first pregnancy. Whether you’re preparing for your wedding, taking those first giant steps toward trying to conceive a baby or you’re already on the way to becoming a parent, having a permanent running reminder about the lead up to such a special event in your life is irreplaceable. Another way to keep focused on a goal or dream you have is to start a blog about it, for example, a weight loss goal or you’re an aspiring millionaire! Only you can write about what you’re going through and the thoughts you’re feeling but you can rest assured that there are many others going through similar situations that will be able to relate to you and your story.

2. Family
Everyone has a family. Mothers, Fathers, Sisters, Brothers, Children, Grandparents and so on. My children make up most of my blog content but not everyone has children so why not blog about another family member? Some family members make for exceptional reading. My sister, for example, has traveled to many different places around the world and seen many, many beautiful things. Her photos fascinate me. Maybe you have a Grandparent that fought in the war? Imagine their stories retold through your blog? You could even blog about your pet. I love a good pet blog, although a naughty pet blog would be even better! :)

3. Photos
A picture tells a thousand words, right? So why not make those the words of your blog. The photos you use can be your own that you’ve taken yourself or maybe a photo that you’ve come across in your internet travels that inspires you. Remember though, some important rules of blogging are to make sure it’s OK to use the image first and to give credit where it’s due so if you do use an image that’s not your property, make sure you credit the source it came from (even if it was just your jet-setting sister’s).

4. Hobbies
A hobby is described as an activity that is undertaken for pleasure, typically during one’s leisure time. For example, sewing, knitting, crocheting, jewellery making, gardening, writing, scrapbooking, drawing, the list is endless. If you have a hobby, why not share your creations with the rest of us? Take photos of your masterpieces for your blog and then write about what inspired you to create it and what went into making it. You may even like to offer a tutorial on how your readers can make one for themselves. Tutorial blogs are fantastic for pulling in the traffic so if you find your blog takes off, you could then incorporate some advertising relevant to your content (it may even help you fund the next project!).

5. Travel
Are you a globetrotter? No, not the NBA kind. The kind that thrives on exploring new and exciting territory outside of their own surroundings. For those of us that have never left the country (ie. me!), I love reading the personal stories of those that have experienced a whole other “world”. In a sense, it’s like traveling through the eyes of the blogger. Seeing what they see. Feeling what they felt when they saw it. Hearing all about the encounters they had. You could share all the experiences you had on your adventure with those that may never get to experience it for themselves (ie. me again!).

Your blog could be about one of these topics or even all of them (that’s what categories are for!). Of course, there are many more niches that you could write about and the five that I’ve listed are just the ones that appeal to me – your average, everyday blog reader. There are plenty more of me out there just busting to read YOUR blog even if you think it’s uninteresting. Just remember, people can relate!

I know it can be frustrating finding the right person to build your website, I don’t want to let anyone down, and I truly appreciate your understanding when I can’t reply to your email or Skype message immediately as it goes without saying, family comes first (although my valued BMAB clients come a very close second!).

I can’t thank you enough for your support in choosing BMAB to build your site and I hope I do you proud.

Kim left this glowing review for me…

Amanda from Build Me A Blog is nothing but professional. She offers a fast, friendly and extremely reliable service and doesn’t quit until you are completely happy. If you need a blog website then you need Amanda. I have really enjoyed working with Amanda on my site for KILA designs and have no doubt she will give each and every one of her clients the help and attention she gave me. Thank you.

Kim
KILA designs

It was wonderful working with you Kim and I hope to be given the opportunity to work with you again in the future! :)

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