72 IHeart FAQ's

IHeart Organizing Frequently Asked Questions:

How did you get started blogging?
I have always loved journaling and being an over sharer, and when I started staying home full time with the kiddos, it was a creative outlet for me to provide some home and organizing tips.  I just decided one day, "I love reading blogs, I should write one too!".  It was basically for friends and family {and an enjoyable outlet for me to focus on in my few spare mommy seconds} and it began to grow through word of mouth and some sweet features.  When I started blogging back in the fall of 2009, I never would have imagined I would be doing it full time someday.  It's been a pretty surreal experience and I have to pinch myself daily to see if I am dreaming.  You can find more details and some additional thoughts on the subject in an oldie post here.


Who designed your blog?
That would be yours truly.  The header and sidebar are basic fonts and graphics that I created using my minimal Photoshop knowledge.  I used a simple Blogger template which I modified with my own images and by using the customization tool within the blogger program.  Everything on the sidebar is added through a "widget" that is offered by blogger {for example; pictures, html, followers, etc...}.  The good news is that Blogger is pretty simple to update and modify without knowing much {or any} coding.  The bad news is that my site has been very "laggy" and I have zero clue as to why.  So, while I look at my hosting and design options for the future of IHeart Organizing, I have heard that many of the browsing issues happen within Internet Explorer and that the blog is much more pleasurable when being viewed with Firefox or Chrome browsers.


What kind of camera do you use?

My current camera is a Canon Rebel XSi.  The two lenses I use most frequently for the blog are the Canon kit 18-55 mm lens and the Tamron 28-75 mm lens.  I also love my little nifty fifty lens.  You can read more here.


What kind of software do you use to make your printables?
I use Microsoft Office 2010 to create all of my labels and printables.  Majority of the items are created using Microsoft Excel, however, I just recently began dabbling in Publisher and I am really enjoying the ease of that program as well.


I can't download your free binder kit, what's the deal?
I am sorry sweet friends.  The binder downloads were free for one month only, as a special promo while I was working on the project with my readers.  They are now available in my shop and are one of the primary ways I am able contribute to supporting my family, so I appreciate your understanding in regards to the expired free trial.  I do offer a variety of free printables, which you can find here, and hope to continue to expand that feature in the future!


How do you make the letters in your graphics alternate in color?
It's a manual and tedious thing.  One letter at a time people, one letter at a time....


What do you do now that you're not a daycare provider?
It is absolutely crazy to believe that I retired from being a daycare provider to become a full time blogger, however, that is the sweet fact.  My youngest son is in half day 4K this year, so I still have a lot of time devoted to being "mom" by day and blogging at night or during the few hours that all of the kidlets are in school during the afternoon.  Along with being an at home mom, I now make a living by running the blog, answering questions and emails, projecting, working with friends and family on their spaces, contributing to BHG.com, designing organizing printables and labeling anything I come in contact with.


When are you going to start accepting Style Tiles again?
At this time I don't have the capacity to manage Style Tiles along with my other life and work obligations.  However, once all of my boys are in school full time, I would love to begin partnering up with folks to help style and organize spaces locally, and have plans to offer the Style Tiles as a service when that happens.  Fingers are crossed!  Ditto to custom printable work.

Where did you get your laundry room rug?
The source for the infamous laundry room rug is Urban Outfitters.  You can find all of our home product sources by allowing our Home Tour Page to load completely, and then hovering on each photo over the object you are interested in tracking down. 

Where can I find a floor plan of your house?
The Home Tour Page now includes the upper and lower level floor plans!  Wahoo!

What color is your bedroom/kitchen/living room?
You guessed it, a full listing of each room's color can also be found beneath the room photos on the Home Tour Page.

Where do you find all of your cute fonts?
All over the www.  A few of my favorite sites to browse are: Font Squirrel, Dafont, 1001FreeFonts, Urban Fonts and Lost Type.

Can you move to Texas/California/Florida and be my best friend?
As long as the climate is a warm one, I am dreaming of moving there.  You fine friends in Antarctica, my apologies but you won't be seeing this gal in the flesh.  And I would be honored to be your best friend, that question makes me smile every time!  In fact, although we haven't met personally, I consider you all very dear friends, never forget that!

I would love to get to know about you and your family....
I do share little tidbits of our family life over on our personal blog.  It's basically how I scrapbook now that I don't have time to really scrapbook.  I would love for you to stop by and visit from time to time to keep up with the Joneses.


What kind of printer do you use?
I print a lot of documents and labels, so I invested in a laser printer.  I was lucky enough to find my current printer on black Friday so I got a great deal! It’s the HP LaserJet CP1525nw color and so far I love it!  Prior to having a laserjet printer, I had a HP Photosmart printer which was great for projects around the house. Depending on your price point, I’ve found that most HP photosmart printers are excellent for high quality printing. 


What kind of label maker do you use?
I use this label maker. the Epson Labelworks LW-400.  I combine it with the clear tape {since I like the streamlined look it offers}. The label maker offers many font sizes and types and I also find that it is very user friendly.


Thanks so much and feel free to check back frequently to find more answers to those burning IHeart Organizing questions.