Hi guys! Did you miss me last week? Don’t answer that… I had a crazy whirlwind week including a trip to Knoxville, Atlanta and a celebration of Sawyer’s 11th birthday as well as my 38th, but who’s counting? Ok, so obviously I am, so maybe I should have said, “but who’s denying?” During my time in Atlanta, I attended the Haven conference for the third time. It’s always refreshing to hang out with my blog friends, put real life faces to blogs I love, and learn some new skills as well. The best parts of these events for me are always the small group conversations I have with my colleagues, these people who truly “get it;” several of us have continued the conversations after leaving, which has lead me to some serious blog pondering. Basically, you guys, I’ve been digging deep and thinking about my direction. I’ve been not only looking forward to where I’m going, but I’ve looked back to see how far I’ve come.
Go Your Own Way Dresser Tutorial
Yesterday a group of us decided for kicks to share our old posts with each other. I’ve been officially blogging for over 7 years and in the beginning I had no idea what I was doing. My photos were terrible, I used my camera flash religiously, and I didn’t even think about styling photos. I keep these posts and photos live on my blog because to the reader thinking about starting a blog, it shows that anyone can do it, and anyone can learn, improve, and grow. Just like life, blogging is a journey full of constant inspiration and education. And let me just also take a moment to let you know that I was a pioneer in the “people in room” photos that have made a sudden surge. I mean, in 2009, I was already doing it. Just to prove it to you, here is a great example… 
And then there was the “place the shoes casually next to the bed” movement. I was part of that, too. Pi. O. Neer, my friends.
Should we even mention that the shoes placed next to the bed casually are freaking sneakers?!?! Not even cute shoes. What on earth? And please note the overhead light turned on, the low hanging curtain rod, the blinds pulled so no natural light ruins my bedroom lighting and flash combo. There are a million things wrong here… You could print this photo out, put it in Highlights magazine, and circle all the “what’s wrong in this picture” items.
And just because I can’t leave you with poorly shot and designed spaces, here’s my current master bedroom. I still have so much I can improve on, but now you can truly see how far I’ve come.
My point in sharing them today is that I have grown, changed, improved with age. And I figured that we may as well all get a good laugh at my expense. I mean, I remember posting these and being so proud of my spaces and photos. Even though I know so much more now, and my style has changed, these photos still make me proud because they were the start of something really special for me. My romance with design and DIY was just beginning and I was discovering new ways to express my creativity every day.
Now here we are 7.5 years after that first time I nervously pressed publish. Some of you have been here from the very beginning, and I love the relationships we’ve formed. (Hi, Allison!) It’s been a fun ride together, hasn’t it?
Gosh, I sound like I am quitting, don’t I? Well, put away the tissues party hats- I am not going anywhere. Over the course of the last few years things in the blogging industry have changed so much and I haven’t done my best to change with them. I’ve been stuck in my ways, comfortable with what I know. Many times, I’ve talked to friends and said, “I think this time I am really quitting. I am not finding the joy in it anymore. I’m not happy with my blog. I’m not inspired to write anything. I want more time with my kids.” All of those seem like great reasons, but the truth is that I just can’t quit you. I love writing and I love connecting with you. So it’s time for me to make some changes that I’ve been contemplating.
Over the course of time, I’ve been slowly switching gears. My life has been changing and with that so has my content. These days I have less time and drive for furniture makeovers. I still love design and I always will (though my style has changed- it clearly needed to!), but I also love the life that I am living. I believe in following your heart and dreams, and I believe in the hard work and dedication that takes. I share with you the highs and the lows of owning a shop, raising chickens, as well as creating a happy home.
So with all of this in mind, I plan to change some things around here within the next month or so. I’ve purchased a new domain name, cassiebustamante.com, and the blog will simply be renamed Cassie Bustamante. My life will continue to change and evolve and blog topics may shift, but the thing that remains the same is my name, assuming that Chris doesn’t tire of me. My current tag line has been really special to me: life, paint and the pursuit of happiness. But these days, I don’t paint as often as I used to and I wanted to broaden it. I want to convey that we are average people, working hard and on a tight budget, but that we are striving to truly get the most we can out of this one life we have. I want to inspire people to live their lives fully, and always make the best of it, no matter what their circumstances. So my new tagline will read….
living an ordinary life extraordinarily
I am grateful for everything I’ve learned over the last 7.5 years, and am excited to continue to learn and grow. I hope you will continue to follow along!
PS- I was honored to be featured at Ciburbanity yesterday for Charlotte’s Sunday Seven series, which was a fun interview that contributed to my post today.
