June 8th - In the Spotlight & Giveaway: Karen Watson, The Graphics Fairy

If you've ever done a search for clip art or a graphic to decorate your blog with, you undoubtedly got a list with Karen Watson's name on it. Although you may not know her by name, she wears quite a few hats, like The Graphics Fairy, The Background Fairy, mother of four, shopkeeper, and much much more! Karen's blogs have tons of resources for new bloggers, beautiful vintage images you can use, free backgrounds, and a ton of inspiration.

Karen is giving away a $25 Michael's gift card today! All you have to do is go to her blog and leave a comment on which image you find inspiring and how you would use it. Then come back to our site, and leave a comment saying you did so. Become a follower here and you'll be entered in our drawings for our cute Bee bumper sticker too! Giveaway ends Friday June 11, 2010, at midnight. Only one entry per person.

BGB: How long have you been blogging?

Karen: I actually started my very first blog in July of 2006, for my shop Fleurish. The Graphics Fairy is my second blog, I started it about a year later in August of 2007.

BGB: What made you start?

Karen: Oddly enough, I first started the Graphics Fairy after my hard drive crashed twice, in less than 2 years, and I lost all of my images both times! At the time I already had a blog for Fleurish so, I was already used to blogging. That's when I came up with the idea to start another blog so that I could store my image collections safely, and then share them with people at the same time.

BGB: Are there bloggers who have inspired you? Which ones?

Karen: Oh yes, loads of them and for all different reasons. But, since this is "The Blog Guidebook" and all, I'm guessing your asking about blogs that explain the ins and outs of blogging? When I first started blogging I tried to read everything I could get my hands on about "how to blog". I tend to get really obsessed with any project that I'm working on, and I spent hours and hours doing research on every aspect of blogging that I could find. Most of the sites were geared towards men at the time, so that's what I read. Sites like Steve Pavlina and Problogger. It's so nice to see the new sites coming out now that are geared towards helping women and Moms start their own blogs. And I love the idea of "The Blog Guidebook" what a great resource!

BGB: Do you have any suggestions for new bloggers? Any tips on gaining followers/readers?

Karen: I would say whether you are blogging for the fun of it, or for professional reasons, make sure you pick a topic to blog about that you love and that fits into your everyday life. It will make it a lot easier to keep up with it all! Ideally you should try to blog at least 2-3 times a week so that you don't loose your audience.
The best way to get new followers or readers, is by having great content that your readers enjoy! Also visiting and commenting on other blogs that have similar topics as your own and participating in some linky parties, can be really helpful. I've been seeing some new parties,where participants are asked to follow each other. I'm not sure how well that works in the long run, if you are only following someone because they are following you. Perhaps if your just starting out though, it might be a good way to get a little boost in the beginning and build your confidence a bit.

BGB: Do you think there are specific genres that are more popular than others in blogging?

Karen: From what I've seen, cooking, design, Fashion, celebrities, Frugal living, crafting and Mommy blogs seem to be very popular. At least for women anyway.

BGB: Do you advertise your blog? If so, where?

Karen: Yes, I've just started doing some of that this year. I've used several sites on "Project Wonderful", also "Whip Up" and "Just Something I Made" have been good.

BGB: Who designed your blog?

Karen: Cathe Holden designed my logo and my banner. I made the background to match. I also did the coding for the 3rd column. We just found out that the logo Cathe made me is going to be in a book about great logos. She's such a pro!

BGB: Does your blog relate to your job at all, is it your job?

Karen: My real job is my brick and mortar business Fleurish, where I sell antiques, as well as, new home accessories with a European flair.
I've always been interested in anything old. When I'm out shopping for Fleurish I will often pick up paper items for The Graphics Fairy, so the two go hand in hand quite nicely.

BGB: When and where do you write your posts?

Karen: I usually post twice a day on TGF, from my tiny little office at home. On my other blogs I post less frequently, usually two or three times a week on The Background Fairy. I have 5 blogs now, it's crazy!

BGB: Have you ever hosted a blog party or linky party?

Karen: I do host a linky party every Monday called Brag Monday. It's really more of a "Challenge" than a party, as I require the attendees to use one of my images in their projects. It's a great way for my readers to show off what they've made.

BGB: Is it successful and why or why not?

Karen: Well, it's not a huge party, but we have a nice little group of very talented regulars and I think it's quite successful in that my readers love it! I feature one or two projects from the previous weeks party, and it's always amazing to see what people come up with using my images. It really helps to give people some new ideas in how to use the graphics. Also it's just really fun for me to be able to brag about some of my readers each week!

BGB: Have you ever attended a just for bloggers event? If so, which one(s)?

Karen: No I haven't. It's definitely on my list to do. I was hoping to go to Blogher this Summer, but I waited too long and now they are sold out. Maybe next year.

BGB: Are there any negatives to blogging you’re concerned about?

Karen: The biggest negative is finding time to respond to comments and emails. I love receiving both, of course, but if I answered all of them back, there wouldn't be time for anything else. Including blogging!

BGB: How does this impact you or your readers?

Karen: I think I've probably unintentionally hurt peoples feelings by not commenting or emailing everyone back. It's not a good feeling and I actually stress about it a lot. Facebook is easier for me since it's all in one place, and I can throw out a quick response, it's also easier to keep track of.

BGB: Which blogs do you read often? Any favorites?

Karen: I wish I had more time to read blogs, I spend so much time on my own that I don't get to read other blogs as much as I used to. I do get sucked in to reading "The Pioneer Woman" from time to time. That site can be very addictive! Also I love craft and decorating blogs, I have huge list of favorite blogs, bookmarked in my favorites folder. I have lots of friends with awesome craft blogs, that I enjoy reading when I have time, too many to list them all at once here, but most are on my Links page.

BGB: What are currently working on? Any current or upcoming projects you’d like us to write about?

Karen: My latest project is a new blog that I started a little over a month ago with a partner. It's called Ciao From Tuscany / Hello From Small Town USA. Where I compare my life, in a small town in the U.S., with the life of my partner Daniela, who is an Italian woman living in the heart of Tuscany. I've never been to Italy and I'm having a blast learning about her life there! I don't speak any Italian, she speaks some English, so we use online translators to communicate with each other. You can find it at www.ciaofromtuscany.com

BGB: Karen, it's been so fun getting to know you! We look forward to the next of your many hats!