So seriously… if you haven’t heard of Jenna Sue you’re MISSING OUT. She’s crafty, she’s artsy and boy is she talented! I’m not lying when I say she’s one of my BIGGEST role models.

I reached out to Jenna and asked her to answer a few questions for me so we could get to know her better.

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

My name is Jenna, I’m 29 and live with my husband and our two cats in the Northern California mountains. I run Jenna Sue Design Co. from my home studio where I design and sell personalized prints for the home. With my husband’s help, I also remodel our home and share the journey in my blog. We bought our first house in the Los Angeles area in 2008 and have been hooked on remodeling ever since. After moving to Florida in 2010 and purchasing our second home, we put a lot more time and effort into DIY’ing and transforming our spaces. Now we’re back in California working on our third home and it has become a huge part of our lives.

Check out some of my favourite projects by Jenna:

1. How to make your own Upholstered Bench

2. How to install White Subway Tile

3. How to Trim Out A Window

4. How to create your own Rustic Wooden Beam

5. How to Plank A Ceiling

Why did you start blogging?

I started blogging right after we moved into our Florida house because I knew we’d be doing a lot of remodeling and thought it would be fun to document the process. I never wanted it to feel like an obligation or a second job, so I went at my own pace and posted only whenever there was a new project in the works. Although I still have that mindset, I am on a more consistent posting schedule now simply because we are taking on so much at once so there’s a lot to share!

Check out Jenna’s Bathroom Makeover. Isn’t it stunning?

How long was it before your blog really took off?

There was never really one defining moment where things really took off, but my biggest spikes in traffic always come from features by other popular home blogs. Pinterest has also helped immensely. My following has increased slowly and steadily over time but I think if full time blogging is your goal, it takes a lot of work to start from the ground up because there’s just so much content out there vying for our attention, and our attention spans are shorter than ever. Five to ten years ago that wasn’t the case, and now it’s like there’s a science to it and some luck required to really stand out and obtain dedicated followers. It has never been my desire to go deeper into that world as my focus is on my business, but of course it’s nice to know that there are some people out there who enjoy following along with my blog and appreciate the time I put into posting.

What’s your biggest tip for someone who’s just starting out?

My best advice would be producing (at least somewhat original) content that people can relate to, and high quality photos. Photography is so important these days—it’s crucial to my business as well. A clean and simple blog design is helpful too. No one is going to want to spend much time on your blog if it’s cluttered and distracting. You also have to really love what you are doing. Because it’s a hobby for me, I have no issues pulling the plug on my blog if it’s no longer an enjoyable or worthwhile part of my life.

What do you do when you’re not working on projects?

When I’m not working on house projects, you can usually find me working in my studio. In the evenings I try to unplug and make time for my family and friends. Now that it’s summer I’m making more of an effort to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Balance is so important, otherwise it’s very easy to become burned out from constant remodeling!

Thanks you so much Jenna Sue!

 

Hope you get a chance to check out her site, use her font  or try out one of her projects.

Stay tuned for my next post (Mini Lasagnas!),

 

Jackie xo