krystina of lollipops *interviewed*

I had the pleasure of interviewing the sweet Krystina of lollipops.
I have actually known Krystina for about 4 years now.
Her girls attend the same school that my girls attend.
(classical education/part time home school).
But it wasn't until the last couple of years that we have discovered our new commonality:
we're both mother's who own our own craft business.

Krystina is such a kind, peaceful soul.
I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her over the years,
and am pleased to introduce her to you all!

what was the first blog you read, and when did you decide you needed your own blog? Lisa Leonard's blog, listed from her biz card. I was intrigued because we were attending the same church and she seemed like such a talented gal, so smart, and yes, I fell in love with her blog and jewelry :)

I didn't think I could do anything like that until she and Lindsey from The Pleated Poppy encouraged me to do so for building a presence in the online handmade community and for sales and marketing. It started off lemon drops and lollipops and I simplified it to lollipops. It really has taken on a life of it's own!

can you describe your blog in 6 words or less? oh boy, ok, um... full of inspiration, family, and handmade love

what do you think the top 3 things are that a blogger can give to her readers? 1. eye candy -this is needed to draw the audience in for the first impression 2. originality -if my blog looks and or sounds just like the pioneer woman's or simple mom then I am not needed. I am a stickler for copy cats it's a pet peeve of mine, it really gets me going. "be yourself and you won't have any competition." 3. something of value either amazing photos, great writing, neat tutorials, tips, or all of the above -a reason for people to read and return to your blog.

what 3 things would you tell your best friend to avoid when keeping a blog? 1. do not copy as previously mentioned 2. don't make it difficult to interact with - make everything easy for the reader i.e. easy to subscribe via rss, easy to tweet your posts, easy to find by putting blog address on everything twitter, facebook, etsy, in emails and easy to comment -no comment moderation, no captcha code to type in. 3. don't worry about numbers - followers, analytics etc do what you love and things will move upwards.

you have many talents beyond blogging krystina. the most obvious being paper crafts and photography. how have these evolved with your blog? Well, thank you so much Emily :) I guess these are the things my blog is, my photography and cards are like the structure and my family and life are the paint full of color. My photography has become more in the moment, less staged, I am finding that a random thing like my morning cup of coffee paints a more interesting picture and blog post than a perfectly shot landscape - the cup of coffee is more meaningful. Things that make up our everyday life are more interesting then staged, fake scenes. My cards take on new flavors every month or so that flow with my inspiration. My home is beige and white -never would have guessed, right? My feelings come out through inspiration and style onto my cards and paper, these evolve as I find new pretty things around me seen in my "what i love wednesdays".

Thank you so much for having me on your beautiful blog Emily!

xoxo,

krystina

Thank you, Krystina, for sharing here!!!
You can visit Krystina at lolllipops
and her shop!