Behind the Blogger!

Hola and happy Monday amigos y amigas!
As a blogger, there is only so much that we can share in a single post without sharing a draft of our autobiography. Being a project based, home decor blog doesn’t always provide me the opportunity to share more of myself. So, I was ecstatic when Jess from Domicile 37 invited me to join her and 3 other great bloggers for a Behind the Blogger series.

We are opening up and sharing personal information and you get a backstage pass to each blogger’s life. So, get a cup of coffee (or tea, or glass of wine) and read up on a bit about me and these other creative women.

Our assignment this week: Discuss our motivation for blogging. This is truly an exciting topic for me. If you are coming over from one of the other 4 great blogs, bienvenido a Casa Watkins! So happy you are here and please stay a while to look around my blog.

The Who…and not the band!

I was born into a Latin American military family and we moved very often. I spent the majority of my childhood overseas in Europe. Looking back at the experience, I wouldn’t change it one bit. Though, growing up with the expectation that you’d be moving every 2-3 years doesn’t seem appealing to a child.

My family and I visiting several areas and countries during our stay, which has dramatically influenced my personality and home decor style. There wasn’t too much to do on a day to day basis, so I turned to arts and crafts. I crafted a lot! I made my own stationary, organizers, and one Summer made a completely furnished 2 story doll house entirely out of recycled materials.

I discovered a passion for home decor while watching the Christopher Lowell show and Bob Vila. Remember them? I loved those shows and learned a lot about DIY work. Though I had always had a strong passion for home decorating, I followed my passion for nursing in college. I’ve been a nurse for 9 years and teach nursing at a local University. I welcome you to visit my About Me page to read more about me and my story.

In regards to my home decor style, I would describe it as cozy, global eclectic with a sprinkle of farmhouse and a dash of coastal. Yes, its a bit of a mix, but so am I. I love the traveled global look, my husband loves the coast/beach, and I adore the cozy feeling of farmhouse style. You can see the range of projects I’ve done so far here.

The Why…Why did you decide to blog?

I had heard a tinsy bit about blogging in college, but it was mostly centered about world views or interest groups. It wasn’t until I was home with my two babies that I really started discovering blogs. I was searching for guidance on raising two babies just 13 months apart when I came across a blog post about making a family binder. Fireworks!! I loved it. I started searching more about home organization and saw that people were blogging about home decor too.

The babies were still quite young for me to start my own, so I continued to read blog posts until I could dedicate time into sharing my own ideas.

Nugget 22 months and Chi Chi 9 months old

The time finally came to blog when we had an unfortunate fire that caused soot to our entire first floor. The walls needed to be repainted and several items had to be thrown out due to fire damage. I decided to chronicle the evolution of our home through blogging and have enjoyed the journey so far. I wanted to share my decorating aesthetic, provide decorating options, diy projects, and home solutions.

On top of home decorating, I also do bilingual homeschooling for my toddlers. My husband is not Latin, and doesn’t speak any Spanish other than hola. So, I had to develop a fun way to teach my kids Spanish. I’ve done tot school since Nugget (now 3) was 16 months old, but did not blog any of it. This was Nugget’s first day of Spanish tot school and his lesson was on the color red (rojo).

I have begun sharing some of those ideas for bilingual families as there aren’t too many resources for this specific family unit. Check out what learning activities we’ve done so far here.

The What…What do you like about blogging and hope to accomplish?

Hands down, the best thing about blogging is being able to share something that can help or inspire someone else. Blogging has given me the creative freedom to try new things, update old projects, and share them all. I wish that someone else would edit my pictures for me, but otherwise I have really enjoyed blogging.

I am still formulating ideas and finding out the best ways to share them on my blog. One day, I hope to be a resource for modern housewives/househusbands that want to personalize their homes. I’d like to offer inspiring room decor, solutions to home problems, great DIY projects, and help new parents teach their bilingual children. It’s so fun to make teaching activities for children and an even better feeling when they benefit other families.

If you could go back and change anything about your blog, would you and why?

Casa Watkins is a place to share all sorts of things happening in our home. I think that the only thing I would change is to be a bit more helpful and share more to help the modern homemakers. There is a lot involved in making a home and definitely more that happens in our casa that I don’t get to share on the blog. I would definitely change that aspect and offer more advice, whether it’s cooking, organizing, family solutions, etc.

Any advice for new bloggers?

First and foremost, you need to discover why you are blogging. Do you want to use blogging as a journal or be a resource to others. Your motivation for blogging drives your content and your satisfaction with blogging. Stay true to who you are and remember to support fellow bloggers.

Thanks so much to Jess for inviting me to share more about my blog. Be sure to head over to my fellow bloggers and check back next month when we are talking about The Man Beside the Blogger!