Though It Seems Impossible, I Have Been Blogging Here at BrocanteHome For Eighteen Years
My son has gone from tot to man, I have lived in three houses, had three horribly messy breakups, endured single Motherhood, embraced step-mumming and internet dating, and suffered my Mum’s sudden death at the oh too early age of 64, a couple of health scares and significant weight-loss – while throughout it all there has been BrocanteHome.
I have seen it all. Blogs have come and gone, some reaching the stratospheres of success and others gently humming along like mine, a certainty of the online space we share with the readers who have become friends over the years. Small, often women led businesses, that have taken the minutiae of life and turned it into community for those who recognise within the pages of their favourite blogs, kindred spirits and daily inspiration.
Of course, a lot has changed over the years, and I have seen it all.
From the early Halycon days of blogging, when I coined the term “Vintage Housekeeping” to the rise of social media. micr0-blogging, vlogging, reels and Tik-Tok! While there have been mainstays of traditional blogging like BrocanteHome, it is an ever-changing landscape as technology has raced along, new platforms have come and gone and the realms of what it is now possible to share has rapidly expanded.
Though all this change means that most of us don’t have the attention capacity we once did, I still believe that there is a place for the longform stories told in traditional blogs and everyday remains an adventure for me, as I develop new skills, document my every day and challenge myself to keep making BrocanteHome both relevant and engaging for my lovely, loyal audience.
How I Blog Now
WordPress
BrocanteHome is built on WordPress.Org (and hosted by Sitground) as this powerful platform offers me an infinite number of themes and plugins, making it possible to create almost anything I can imagine. The learning curve can feel steep but it is worth it.
Kajabi
The rest of my business is based in Kajabi: a one stop platform incorporating funnels, a CRM, email marketing, coaching, sales pages and very soon, a gorgeous new community. Kajabi really does take the headache out of making everything work together.
Etsy
The final piece of the jigsaw is Etsy. Well known and with robust sales and promotion facilities, Etsy makes the creation of my Printables shop super simple without me having to manage payment processing and automated delivery.