Blog of the Week: Splendid Market
December 18, 2011
Congratulations to Splendid Market: the SocialMoms Blog of the Week!
The first thing that attracted me to the Splendid Market blog was the simplicity of the layout and the photography. Everything from the crafts to the decorating were simply beautiful to look at, and I immediately wanted to try them out. I chatted with Emily about the site and inspiration behind it.
SM: What was your inspiration for starting Splendid Market
I had been thinking about starting a blog for sometime, I had reserved the url ages ago, thinking that I would open an actual market someday. The more I thought about this, I realized that I didn’t have the time to manage a market, but I still wanted to be able to share my ideas on how to live a great lifestyle with ease. So, it occurred to me that Splendid Market could be a market of ideas, or notions, I call it “notions to inspire”.
The final impetus for starting Splendid Market was actually an injury. I tore my MCL while tobogganing on New Years eve almost 3 years ago. When the doctor said to take it easy for 6 weeks, I knew it was time to make Splendid Market a reality. The following weekend I was taking my son to a ski race. Because I couldn’t ski, I took photos of a flower arrangement I had made and wrote my first post about forcing quince branches indoors.
SM: What has most surprised you about running the site?
Splendid Market has been a wonderful creative outlet. I think the most surprising thing to me is how devoted I am to running the site, and the fact that I never run out of ideas to write about. Originally, I thought I would post once a week, but I actually post 3-4 times a week, and would do more if I had the time.
Along the way, I have run into some technological road blocks, but through trial and error, I’ve been able to figure out how to make Splendid Market fit my vision. I’m surprised to find that, though frustrating at the time, I’ve actually enjoyed these challenges because I have learned so much through the process.
SM: What are you most passionate about?
I have many passions, but I guess I am most passionate about good food served well. I’ve been cooking all of my life and worked in the food industry for a number of years. With my experience, I’ve been able to figure out ways to make and present good food with ease. I like sharing these insights with readers, and I love it when they are inspired to try my recipes and ideas.
SM: What is the most popular section of your site?
The food or “culinary” section is the most popular section on Splendid Market. For some reason my post on Preserved Limes is always the most popular post. It must be in some article or website, but I have never been able to track the source of all of the traffic that goes to that post. My travel posts are always very popular as well. I travel quite a bit so I created a section called “roam” where I share my discoveries, as well as ideas on things to do, and places to stay.
SM: What is your favorite part of blogging?
My favorite part about blogging is the community. Through Splendid Market I have formed friendships with people from all over the world. I love connecting with all of these interesting women and seeing what is going on in their lives.
SM: Do you have any blogging resolutions for the new year?
I need to get caught up on filing my posts! Splendid Market is designed to be a resource for people who need a little inspiration or information. After I publish posts I file links to them under the labels of botany, culinary, roam, celebrations, and splendid objects, so readers can find back information easily. It took me a long time to figure out how I could set it up so readers could “stroll” the aisles to find what they need. My blogging resolution is to schedule more time for maintenance and filing.
