So in case you were lounging by the pool with a summer novel in your hand a few weeks ago (as you well should have been!) and missed the big announcement, I’m once again going to do a 31 day series in October! UPDATE: IT HAS BEGUN! Here is the link!
Last year, if you recall, I hosted a series called 31 Days of Autumn Bliss, along with a group of other blogging friends who each wrote on their own topics. It was my first time ever attempting a 31 day in a row series and it was challenging and exhausting for my brain, but fun. I think I learned a few things on what not to do. My friend Nester is our 31 day ring leader and is the one to blame thank for this idea. It is great to have friends who have good ideas.
This year, we are doing the same 31 day series format, with a couple of twists. One, our topics will be fresh and new. Secondly, we are opening up the challenge to write your own 31 day series. Yes, you are invited to join in!
So what will I be writing about this year?
This October, I’ll be expanding my favorite seasonal topics a bit more to inspire us (eh, hem, OK, who am I fooling, I write these for myself) to embrace all the wonderfulness of the entire holiday season from Fall to Christmas. I haven’t quite mapped out what the entire month will look like, but I’m thinking along the lines of this basic week by week timeline:
Week One: Cozying Up Our Homes for Fall and Winter
Fresh ideas to embrace the fall season of contentment and prepare your home for the cozy season ahead.
Week Two: Thankful for Fall Traditions
Be inspired to creatively embrace fall traditions at home.
Week Three: Holiday Entertaining
I’ll share simple ideas and tips to prepare our homes for entertaining and really enjoying the holiday season.
Week Four: Christmas Bliss
And finally near the end of our 31 days, we’ll gear up for Christmas with ideas for gift giving, tips for creative wrapping, simple crafts and ideas for decorating your home.
Those topics might change or move about a little without warning, but that little outline is basically helping me avoid a panic attack. I can do this. I can. It seems much more doable when you have an outline.
Can you write for 31 days in a row on a subject YOU are passionate about?
We’d love to have you join us in this challenge.
Here is how to get started if you want to participate 31 Days:
1. Pick a topic you love to talk about. It can be a single topic or a series of related topics forming a 31 day series. There are no real rules! There is a list of last years participants and their topics here if you want more inspiration for how to do this. Only one blogger quit blogging after this series so the chances are, you’ll survive too (just kidding, kind of).
2. Put together a general outline of post ideas to make sure you feel comfortable with writing 31 posts on your chosen topic. You don’t have to write complicated posts, they can be as simple as a photograph or a few lines of text. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Simple is really best.
3. Once you know your topic, commit. Publish a post on your blog telling the world you are doing a series in October. You can make a button if you want to! I made mine with Picnik and I’m pretty dang proud of myself if I do say so. Design one you like!
4. On October 1st, we’ll host a linky (details on how to link up will be provided closer to October) where you can link up your blog and your 31 day topic so we can all be inspired by YOU.
5. If you don’t want to write but just want to enjoy the series, that is OK too! In fact, that would be awesome if someone was still around to read my blog. Crickets can be SO LOUD!
Did I forget anything?
Feel free to delurk right now and ask questions in the comments, or share what you think you’ll write about!
Note: It is A-OK to write on the same basic topic as someone else because there is no one else like you — no one else will approach the same topic the same way! But you might try to find a unique angle on a topic to help it stand out as being distinctively yours!
I hope you’ll all participate in 31 days — we’ll be blowing up the internet!
Hi! I’m a new reader – I came here via someone else who is doing this challenge, and I’ve decided that I want to join in as well. I’m going to do 31 Days of Real Housewife Confessions. {Yikes!}
Here’s my intro post: http://redandhoney.com/2011/09/announcement-introducing-31-days-of-real-housewife-confessions/
I love this idea and am dying to start. I’ve created a button (30 Birthday Wishes) and have committed to a theme of 31 daily posts on things,places and people I’d like to see – mostly from an interior design perspective).
As it’s my 30th birthday today, thought I’d use my Krispy Kreme Kake Kreation as a pic for my button – any excuse
So where and how do we link up?
Surely this much excitement will give way to laziness no?
OK, I’ve thought and thought. 31 days to getting my organization back. Kids come in and make your life explode in your face, in both good and bad ways. The bad way is that there’s enough hair on my bathroom floor right now, to make a wig. I’m hoping that if I keep things more organized, (a project I’ve slowly been trying to tackle for awhile now) the cleaning will happen more often.
hmmm so want to do this too just not sure on what … to many ideas in my head plus a lot of the ones above!
Decorating cheaply but beautifully? Mothering? our life chronicles? Grace in all it’s forms? Homeschooling? Army/military wife stuff? what to do what to do….
I’m totally in…and I will do “31 days to the Green Gables Life”….get where I am going with this?
Twitter: charcoalcrayons
says:
I’m really quite excited about this… and there’s no turning back now – I just posted that I’ll be doing “31 Days of Words to Live By”. I’ll be sharing my favourite quotes and sayings and try to incorporate them into daily life and art projects. Thanks for the inspiration!
Twitter: E2gather
says:
You have inspired me to do my own 31days on my blog! I am nervous but so excited to share my passion for meal ministry. I hope you come visit my series! : )
I’ve had a blog for awhile now, but I have been waiting for something to put on it. I’m going to participate in this challenge and call mine “31 Days of Small Changes.” They’ll be quick tips to help streamline your life and hopefully manage some of the stress that comes from that feeling of failure we get when we aren’t doing everything “perfectly.” Hope I can keep up the whole time!
Here’s my post: http://www.diylearningcurve.com/2011/09/31-days-of-finding-my-organization-skills/
)
I’m in! And just as scared as the rest of the crew, 31 days oh my!
At Decor Adventures {my blog} you’ll get 31 Days of Pumpkins! Come see how to grow em, carve em, eat em, decorate em, and more.
And I look forward to the other amazing topics selected by everyone. See y’all soon. {Now I have to go write about pumpkins}.
I’m a little nervous and hope I can keep the momentum going!
I will be doing 31 Days of a Handmade Home. Since my blog is all about the crafts I do to add to the home it’s no different than what I do now BUT there’s more of it. Some projects are little (so I can manage it) and a few are big and it’s going to be fun! Thank you for inviting us all to join in!
I’m in too! 31 days of Grace …. talking about God’s grace in our lives in the midst of wrapping up our 4th deployment to Iraq, mothering, the beauty around us etc!
nail biting begins….
Hooray! Getting excited and nervous too
Twitter: OngoingPlanner
says:
I have decided to accept the challenge and do 31 Days of Thanks. Thank you to The Inspired Room and everyone’s comments for helping me develop my idea!
Hooray! Can’t wait!
I already posted that I want to join in, but I am not sure how to link up (I’ve never done that before)
I see some have linked their first post up in the comments. How do I do it?? Oh, by the way, mine is 31 days to Creating Home!
Treisha
Come to my latest post, you’ll see the linky!!
WOWZERS!!!!! 31 days….I have never done it…but I work better under pressure…..hahahaha!! I will be posting “31 days of Prepping for the holidays at the Cottage” My husband and I are on a mad dash to get our cabin in “Cottage” order for the first holidays to be celebrated by the family at our cabin…oh I mean…”Cottage”.