Meet Karen at Home: and Target Gift Card Giveaway

I always get the warm fuzzies when I find a "triple threat" blog: meaning it has good content that I can learn from, a great sense of style, and an easy to navigate format.

My newest sponsor, Karen at Home, is a triple threat blog whose tagline reads "Homemaking Made Simple." Anyone who can find ways to simplify home life earns an A in my book. Keep reading to find out how you can win a Target Giftcard from Karen! You all know I love my Target--bummed I can't enter this one. {wink}

Karen agreed to an email interview so that my readers could get to know her.

Here's what we chatted about:

1. When did you start blogging, and why did you decide to start a blog?
I have been blogging since September, 2006. At the time, my husband and I had just begun our journey to start a family. We were also on the hunt for a new home and I thought, "what better time to document all of the exciting changes that lay ahead of us?"

I never realized what a fun and exciting world of blogging was until I started to receive comments on my posts. I would click on the comment which would bring me to a new blog. I would read a post on that blog and find even more bloggers through that post from those comments made. One click on those comments leads you to other blogs. You start to see familiar faces after awhile, who is following who, and who knows who. It's quite addicting! I meet new people every day who I would have never met if I had not created a blog.

2. Tell me about how you chose the title of your blog.
We ended up building a new construction home and decorating it. Being a homemaker became something I was very passionate about. I also loved blogging about decorating, easy recipes, and simple homemaking tips and tricks that I found. They made my life as a new Mom a lot easier. That is how Karen At Home...Homemaking Made Simple came to be.

3. What's your favorite topic to write about?
I am most passionate blogging about home decor and inexpensive home decor finds. And of course, my little girl! I recently started to get into DIY tutorials. In the past few months, I posted about DIY Wainscoting  and DIY No Sew Drape Hem. I love helping people and showing them easy and inexpensive ways to decorate their home.

4. Which post are you most proud of?
I have to say the first post that comes to mind recently is my Summer Pasta Salad post. I have received so many emails from readers and complete strangers telling me that they tried my pasta salad and how much they enjoyed it!

5. When your family has time together, what are some special things you like to do/eat/read/watch?
My family and I love to take walks around our neighborhood. Every night, after dinner, you will see my husband and I strolling around the neighborhood. Sometimes we are pushing our daughter in the stroller, sometimes she is pushing her stroller, too stubborn to get in it!

6. What's the best thing about blogging?
The best thing about blogging is the people you meet and the knowledge that you gain. I wouldn't be where I am at today without all of my supportive readers. I have never been so involved in a more inspirational network of women. I owe so much of my knowledge today simply from all of the great blogs that I read.

7. What's your favorite avenue of social media (Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, etc)?
My favorite social media is Twitter, via Hootsuite. Hootsuite is absolutely amazing. If you love Twitter, I highly suggest using Hootsuite instead. I can post directly to my personal facebook page, my blog fan page, and my Twitter account, all with one push of the button. You can also track your stats on how many followers click on your links. It's an amazing tool...you won't be sorry!
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Karen's fun style, her friendly-conversational tone, and her helpful tips are sure to delight you, whether you're a stay at home mom, working mom, or single girl. I hope you'll stop by her blog and introduce yourself. Be sure to tell her I sent you!

Here are just a few more great posts from Karen at Home:

• Tour Her Home
• Living Room Sunburst Mirror
• Master Bedroom and Bath
• Chicken and Cheese Turnovers

Karen thought it would be fun to offer a Giveaway for you guys today.

One Serenity Now reader is going to win a $25 Target Gift Card!

Here's how you can enter (Please leave a separate comment for each entry):

1. (mandatory to enter) Visit the Karen at Home and leave me a comment telling me your favorite thing about Karen's blog, whether it's a specific post, a recipe, etc. (No cheating and mentioning something I've already linked to here!)

For extra entries:
2. Facebook this Giveaway with a link to this post
3. Tweet the Following (you can copy and paste): Want to win a @Target Gift Card from @karen_at_home? Visit the #Giveaway via @SerenityNowGirl! http://bit.ly/pa2cyW
4. Join my Weekend Bloggy Reading party this weekend and link back to me or include my party button within your post for an automatic entry!

Giveaway open until 10 pm (ET) on Sunday night. (open to US residents only)

I hope you'll come back tomorrow to link up YOUR best post of the week to Weekend Bloggy Reading. Recipes, crafts, home decor, book reviews, funny stories, you name it. Come prepared to showcase your blog and find some great weekend reads.

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