Looking for some light-reading blogs
April 10, 2016 12:24 PM Subscribe
I'm looking for some new blogs to read on home renovation/design, gardening, crafts (sewing, weaving, knitting), and personal but not professional blogs.
I'm looking for a few more good blogs to read on a variety of topics. I am looking for craft blogs, particularly sewing, weaving, and knitting; home renovation and design blogs; gardening blogs; public health blogs; and personal, small-time blogs not written for profit. Not really looking for food blogs as I already read several.
I'm specifically not interested in: anything political or news related; anything religious; pop culture; music or books; celebrity stuff; or fashion blogs. I'm not really looking for parenting blogs but don't mind the occasional kid mention (ie, a post about vacation with kids or craft made with kids = fine; post about how to feed kids = not what I'm looking for; bloggers that exploit their kids for content = ick definitely not).
To give a flavor of what I already like, I currently enjoy Smitten Kitchen, The Tipsy Baker, Red Wine & Applesauce, Orangette, Apartment Therapy, Manhattan Nest, the Wednesday Chef, The Purl Bee, Angry Chicken, Pleasant View Schoolhouse, Soule Mama, Tallgrass Prairie Studio. I loved Academichic, New FNP, Chez Zerby, and Sidewalk Ready when they posted. A few of my friends write personal blogs - I'd love more like that - blogs that are pretty random and that feel like you're just catching up with a friend (as long as they are generally positive - I don't want to read a cancer blog, for example). I'd be happy to read mefite blogs if you want to recommend yours!
This is my light reading/downtime stuff so I'm just looking for upbeat stuff to enjoy that doesn't leave me feeling depressed/sad/angry at the world/hopeless. A lot of the blogs I used to read seem to have stopped posting so I'm looking to fill in some holes.
I'm looking for a few more good blogs to read on a variety of topics. I am looking for craft blogs, particularly sewing, weaving, and knitting; home renovation and design blogs; gardening blogs; public health blogs; and personal, small-time blogs not written for profit. Not really looking for food blogs as I already read several.
I'm specifically not interested in: anything political or news related; anything religious; pop culture; music or books; celebrity stuff; or fashion blogs. I'm not really looking for parenting blogs but don't mind the occasional kid mention (ie, a post about vacation with kids or craft made with kids = fine; post about how to feed kids = not what I'm looking for; bloggers that exploit their kids for content = ick definitely not).
To give a flavor of what I already like, I currently enjoy Smitten Kitchen, The Tipsy Baker, Red Wine & Applesauce, Orangette, Apartment Therapy, Manhattan Nest, the Wednesday Chef, The Purl Bee, Angry Chicken, Pleasant View Schoolhouse, Soule Mama, Tallgrass Prairie Studio. I loved Academichic, New FNP, Chez Zerby, and Sidewalk Ready when they posted. A few of my friends write personal blogs - I'd love more like that - blogs that are pretty random and that feel like you're just catching up with a friend (as long as they are generally positive - I don't want to read a cancer blog, for example). I'd be happy to read mefite blogs if you want to recommend yours!
This is my light reading/downtime stuff so I'm just looking for upbeat stuff to enjoy that doesn't leave me feeling depressed/sad/angry at the world/hopeless. A lot of the blogs I used to read seem to have stopped posting so I'm looking to fill in some holes.
Best answer: I think you might like Projectophile. She blogs about doing up a fixer-upper in Chicago, with rare mentions of her kids, and her writing is hilarious. I'm not wildly interested in drywall and yard renovation and yet I read everything she posts.
posted by cardinalandcrow at 2:27 PM on April 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by cardinalandcrow at 2:27 PM on April 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: The Danville Experience is a home renovation blog. They are 15 years into restoration of an 1874 mansion and are doing incredible detail work. This article is a good intro/overview.
posted by belladonna at 3:37 PM on April 10, 2016
posted by belladonna at 3:37 PM on April 10, 2016
This design/art/architecture blog gets updated only occasionally, but it still active.
posted by gudrun at 3:40 PM on April 10, 2016
posted by gudrun at 3:40 PM on April 10, 2016
Best answer: If you like Manhattan Nest & Apartment Therapy, I bet you would like Yellow Brick Home (couple in Chicago who renovated a condo and now are renovating a 100+ year old home.) Yellow Brick Home also has a "blogs we love" list that includes a lot of other generally upbeat, personal DIY/renovation blogs. Do you read Design Sponge?
Elise Blaha doesn't post as often anymore, but I've read her blog for years and she definitely has a good mix of crafts, personal ramblings, and renovation.
posted by cimton at 3:43 PM on April 10, 2016
Elise Blaha doesn't post as often anymore, but I've read her blog for years and she definitely has a good mix of crafts, personal ramblings, and renovation.
posted by cimton at 3:43 PM on April 10, 2016
Best answer: This is the blog (Mrs. Cleaver Chronicles) run by my childhood best friend. Her knitting/sewing content is great. Since her daughter was born, there has been kid-related content, but it seems to fall within your guidelines.
posted by guster4lovers at 4:16 PM on April 10, 2016
posted by guster4lovers at 4:16 PM on April 10, 2016
Best answer: Try Curious is great - blogger Jasika Nicole is an actress (on Fringe and Scandal!) which makes her seem unattainable and super cool but then she also makes her own shoes and red carpet dresses, sews gender-neutral clothing for her partner, and talks about her sewing mistakes, which makes her very attainable and even cooler.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 4:22 PM on April 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by pseudostrabismus at 4:22 PM on April 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: An acquaintance of mine writes at The Homes I Have Made. Her husband is in the military, so she specializes in renter-friendly decorating, and she has done some amazing things! There is a nice mix on there of decor, doing upgrades to furniture, and organization. Lately she has started writing some articles on home-oriented sewing. The content stays pretty fresh because they move and deal with a new house every so often, and each house brings its own opportunities and challenges.
I mean, look at this rental kitchen makeover! Caveat: She sometimes paint walls and then paint them back before moving, which I'm not sure I would do... then again, if I knew I would be there for a few years I'd consider it. There are also articles on adding color without painting.
One thing I really like about her writing style compared to some of the bigger blogs is that she goes through her thought process instead of just presenting everything as if it was all obvious from the beginning. So she'll talk about alternatives she considered and how she made her decisions, or something she tried that didn't work out. To me, that style helps me learn more and makes it easier to apply ideas because maybe my situation would be better with some of the alternatives.
posted by scarnato at 6:26 AM on April 11, 2016
I mean, look at this rental kitchen makeover! Caveat: She sometimes paint walls and then paint them back before moving, which I'm not sure I would do... then again, if I knew I would be there for a few years I'd consider it. There are also articles on adding color without painting.
One thing I really like about her writing style compared to some of the bigger blogs is that she goes through her thought process instead of just presenting everything as if it was all obvious from the beginning. So she'll talk about alternatives she considered and how she made her decisions, or something she tried that didn't work out. To me, that style helps me learn more and makes it easier to apply ideas because maybe my situation would be better with some of the alternatives.
posted by scarnato at 6:26 AM on April 11, 2016
Response by poster: wow, those renovation blogs make me feel SO much better about the state of my own home! Thanks all, I've marked as best the ones that I added to my feed. Any other recommendations still welcome! (To clarify the kid thing - I love kids and will happily read about them, just not looking for parenting how-tos or exploitation for content ala Dooce.)
posted by john_snow at 9:48 AM on April 11, 2016
posted by john_snow at 9:48 AM on April 11, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by ananci at 2:04 PM on April 10, 2016