I'm writing this post because I was nominated for the Bloggers Recognition Award.  I am truly honored & excited to be chosen for this award.  As part of receiving this award, I am thrilled to nominate other bloggers who I think are deserving of it as well.  Please read on to see who I am nominating for this amazing award!

Blogger Recognition Award

Jumping into the blogging world can be a bit intimidating, but also very rewarding!  There are many hours that go into creating your little corner of the internet so to be nominated for this award is extremely exciting!  I want to give a great big THANK YOU to Pollie from Pollie's Place for nominating my blog for the Bloggers Recognition Award.

What is the Bloggers Recognition Award?

The Blogger Recognition Award is given to bloggers by bloggers to show appreciation for the hard work and dedication put into their blog. This is an amazing award to be presented with, because from my experience starting a new blog is, “No walk in the park.”

It requires tons of energy, time, patience and a wide variety of skills–some of which you might have to learn. So, receiving this award is a great honor and each blogger who receives it should be proud of what they have accomplished, but should also remember this isn’t the finish line, just a milestone. There is always more growth and knowledge to obtain. Take this award wear it with pride and keep building your blog.

What is Pollie's Place & Who is Pollie?

Pollie's Place is a fun blog owned by Pollie!  She shares her love of home decor by showcasing how she styles her home in an effortless & beautiful way.  Her use of neutrals with slight pops of muted color will easily inspire you as much as she inspires me.  Pollie is also an interior designer & I know her clients are lucky to work with her.

Pollie is so supportive & such a sweet gal.  She is a Momma to 2 boys & married to her high school sweetheart ( how cute?!).  Pollie is also a dental hygienist & big into the health industry.  I know you will love Pollie & her blog as much as I do so please go show her some love over at Pollie's Place.

The Story of Aratari At HOME

I have always been a creative soul.  I went to college for fashion merchandising & studied abroad at the Paris Fashion Institute.  Fashion & style were always my 'thing,' but interior design was always something that peeked my interest.  I just didn't have the proper avenues to really explore that passion until my husband & I were living in our apartment in Buffalo, NY.  I began to decorate it & make that apartment feel like it was our home.  It was December of 2015 when I decided to start a blog & share what I had been doing in our apartment.  Little did I know that a few short months later, we would purchase our first home & my blog would really start to blossom.  I was able to start sharing all of our house projects, DIYs, home tours, & more!  I quickly realized how much I loved blogging & being able to pour my creative juices into something so amazing & something that meant so much to me.

Fast forward to now & I am still in shock with how far my blog has come in under 2 years.  My love for home decor is still my main priority on here, but things have shifted a bit as we have added a little baby to our family.  I have slowly sprinkled in some lifestyle posts, fashion/style posts, & mommy/baby posts.  I love this new turn my blog has taken because I feel it gives my readers a better look into my real life.  Home decor is not the only thing that defines me so I feel adding in these more lifestyle-esque posts shows my other interests.

I am so proud of all the opportunities I have had with my blog.  I am still learning every day & constantly looking to improve my blogging skills to take my blog to the next level.  I am beyond thankful to all my blogging friends & friends I have made through my Instagram as they have been so influential in helping me grow.  I still feel so new to this whole blogging world & am just so grateful to be a part of it.

To you bloggers below, CONGRATULATIONS!  Thank you for your constant encouragement, inspiration, & love!  Keep up the fab work & I am excited to see where your blogs go next :)

 
My Nominations:

1. Randi Rustic Meadows Home
2. Kelly The Tattered Pew
3. Jordan A Blue Nest
4. Sarah The Belmont Ranch
5. Kayla Plum Pretty Decor & Design
6. Sarah Dreaming of Homemaking
7. Meeghan Cali Girl in a Southern World
8. Bethany Crisp Collective
9. Jordan Jordecor
10. Jen Noting Grace

My Advice to New Bloggers

- Stay true to YOU!  Blog about what you truly love & you will never run out of things to write.  Do what feels right & be authentic.  You will come across so much more genuine when you are sharing about things you love & care about.
- Create a blogging calendar.  This helps to keep you on track & helps with blogging consistently.  I love being able to see what I plan to write about in the upcoming weeks so that I can get things done in a timely manner.
- Ask questions!  I still feel like I am a very new blogger & still have plenty of questions of how to improve my blog.  Align yourself with bloggers you love & reach out & ask questions.  Most are more than willing to help out in any way that they can.  You can also find some Facebook groups which can help in promoting your blog & you can learn a lot of from them.
- JUMP IN!  Don't be afraid to start, just do it.  It will be so worth it & you can always learn as you go.  Starting is the first step & you will not regret it!

Rules for Accepting this Award

Take the time to thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog
• Write a post to show your award
• Give a brief story how your blog started
• Give pieces of advice to new bloggers
• Select 10 – 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to
• Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them, provide the link to the post you created

I am so grateful to Pollie for nominating me!  Blogging is such a passion of mine that it is nice to know that others love my blog as much as I do :)

Thank you for stopping by the blog today!

XO
-LA