Today we have Jennifer West from Pink When Blog as our influencer of the week! Read her story here and don’t forget to show some comment love!

I began blogging a little over a year ago in February of 2013.  It is when I officially decided to give it a try, and share my love for crafting and cooking.

My preferred topics are crafts and recipes, but I like to throw other things in that are relevant at different times. For example, we have a toddler, and when we returned from Disney World with her last year, I decided to share a post on 30+ things to do with a toddler at Disney World and broke it down by parks.

I have many, but my favorite post of all is my Herb Garden from a Pallet.  It’s been one of the most popular posts I have ever done, and it was a fun project to try and create. Not to mention, I love fresh herbs in my meals.

My second favorite post has to be my No Bake Strawberry Cloud Cake.  It’s a quick and easy recipe that has really been all over Pinterest.  With No baking, 4 simple ingredients, and 10 minutes, you can have one of the  most delicious desserts, EVER.

My 3rd favorite post is actually a series of posts I did on Arm Knitting last year. I did a few scarves and a blanket and a few videos and it was a HUGE hit.

When I am not blogging I am trying to keep up with 4 kids and a husband.  They are always all over the place and we are always busy traveling or working or creating something fun to eat. We are a family that LOVES to cook.

I would say my biggest tip is to make a schedule and stay organized. If you don’t, you will burn out.  You also have to figure out what type of blogger you want to be.  Is this a blog only for you and family?  Do you care about the rest of the world seeing it? Would you like to make a career out of it?  I actually wrote a book about Starting a Blog ( http://www.pinkwhen.com/book/)  and it published a few months ago. Maintaining a balance between family life and blogging is a fine line and one you can do if you apply yourself and use all of your time wisely. 

I have used Sverve for sponsored posts opportunities and for finding new blogs to follow and read.

My only tip would be to not focus on the number, focus on what you love. Share great content and people will find you, but always SHARE it.

One of the biggest tips I can share is that if you want to try and make this a career, look at this as a business that you own. Set yourself a work schedule and stay organized. Never slack up, and always always always SHARE your content you write about. Don’t expect Google or other search engines to just send people your way when you hit publish.  The World Wide Web is a big place, and you have to share your content across all of the relevant social media platforms.

There are a lot of things I love about blogging, and one of the biggest things is the people I have met.  Attending one big conference a year is a goal I set last year, and so far I have been to TWO.  I love being in a room with so many like minded people, making new friends, and meeting ones that I have been acquainted to online “in real life”.

Connect with Jennifer!