Hellobee Boards

I agree with @Arden I used to enjoy the blog for years and now it's just sort of meh. I find myself clicking through "as read" more often then not.

I just started reading their blog when they moved into the 3rd house. I didn't think it was so bad, but I recall wondering what the hype was when a post was simply a pic or no post at all.

thank goodness there are 7 years of archives to keep us busy and hopefully this is just a hiatusm

@Weagle: share some of your favorites please

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: My very favorite is Manhattan Nest. Bower Power (though she may have a questionable filter and annoying voice at times) is actually quite good at projects. Lauren Leiss/Pure Style Home is my favorite designer, and I can't wait for her book. I also like Emily Clark, but I don't read her as much since she truncated posts.

@Weagle: Oy I can't do Bower Power. Just can't.

@Arden: I know, she's super annoying. But for a novice DIYer, she's pretty good. At least her stuff is fairly cohesive. I just read through Feedly and only open posts that contain significant projects = no page clicks.

When Teddy was born they did mention that they wouldn't post as often as they used to, so I wondered if they thought about this for a while now. (Especially with baby #2) It is great all the opportunities their blog has given them lately (two books, Target deal and lots of media appearances (magazine and locally).

I wonder if this is just a natural progression for successful bloggers. They are now DIY experts/designers and maybe they don't neccesariliy need the blog anymore to make a living. Maybe they want a 9-5 job or an office job. Who knows! It's sad for those of us who follow them regularly but did we really think they were going to blog for the rest of their lives? At some point, they probably would want a change.

I'm so happy for them and it's been a pleasure reading their blogs for the past 1-2 years. I am sad I didn't catch their blog sooner.

@wahine08: Yes I also read House Tweaking.

And as much as some of the blogging world seems to hate her, I do read Emily Henderson as well.

@bluestriped bee: Except they're not exactly experts because they never really grew as the industry did. Compared to others, their skill set is kind of laughable.

@Arden: @wahine08: I love Emily Henderson's style, and she has quality posts on a regular basis. I don't understand why the blogging world dislikes her since she is one of the rare bloggers with REAL design experience. She's not someone who became famous through blogging. (i also just can't with Bower Power's "voice". Again, i think her DIY is better than design skills)

I really liked YHL in the beginning and got some great tips from them, but i feel like they were always better at DIY than decorating. I only skim their blog out of habit. I'm glad they're taking a break.

I only skim their posts in feedly these days... Good for them for taking a break!

@bluestriped bee: I don't think Target chose to work with them based on their design expertise. They chose to work with them because they have a huge, passionate fanbase that most likely equals hundreds of thousands of potential Target customers.

Because I agree that YHL aren't particularly skilled at design or DIY. What made them special was their passion and personalities. But that's all faded these past few years.

At any rate, I hope this break is good for them and that they can reignite some of the spark they lost.

I feel like in general blogging is starting to become less popular lately. With sites like Pinterest, it is so much faster and easier to get inspiration you need there compared to the occasional inspiration you would get from one blogger's site.

While I liked some of the things YHL did and I really like them, online and in person, everything wasn't for me so that leaves you looking elsewhere for inspiration. And honestly, people don't have time to sit reading through a ton of different blog posts from different sources for things that speak to them.

I imagine it is such hard work, horrible hours, a huge commitment, and all that for not a lot of revenue unless you blast your site with a ton of ads and such. And like they said, the blogging world has felt more sponsored/corporate and you can't blame bloggers, it has to be if people are expected to make a living off their site. So, you can't fault them for that, but it's not where its seems YHL's hearts are, they want their work to also feel like fun. I hope whatever happens with them going forward is the best for their family and hopefully they'll keep the site around for an occasional update for those that have followed their journey the past 7 years.

Just getting back from a week camping with no service to read this. I'm sad but not surprised. I still check their site daily but don't follow as much as I used to. Don't feel the need to blast them though like some of the comments I read on their comment page. I wish them the best and hope they can find something that works for their family.

@bluestriped bee: @aegie: I'm with you ladies. I still really liked YHL. I don't really DIY much, but I enjoyed seeing what they were doing and they seemed like a fun couple. I was really looking forward to seeing how their new house turned out. I hope they are able to get their groove back and get back to doing what they love.

I am a huge fan and have been reading for years. I remember clearly the first post that changed the whole tone of the blog, and that was the "back off" post about guessing if Sherry was pregnant. It was written the best way possible and 100% called for, but the fact that they chose to go there put up an invisible wall between them and their readers. The tone just seemed different after that, like they resented their audience a little. Then when they announced the purchase of their 3rd house and that it had actually been kept a secret from readers for like 6 months, that did it for me. At that point it really seemed like they were "over" having to share any personal details at all and almost acted like readers were in the wrong for wondering about it. It seemed like the wall was growing higher and getting reinforced which started a downward spiral of them getting defensive and readers being upset, which lead to lackluster and uninspired blog posts.

Anyway I think it's a shame because even though they aren't pro's i loved reading the blog and i did a lot of the projects in my own home!

Thanks to those on this thread who recommended Manhattan Nest, amazeballs!

@Modern Daisy: I wasn't reading them when the back off post was posted, but man they must have been getting hounded.

http://www.younghouselove.com/2013/03/state-of-the-uterus-address-2013/

I have several thoughts on YHL, them taking a break, and blogging/pinterest in general.

I think YHL is a great read for entertainment and resource for those looking to get their feet wet with DIY, crafting, and decorating. I wouldn't call them experts. I would call them stylists and that they have a great skill for figuring out a project making it work for their circumstances and are really good at writing tutorials that are understandable. They are relatable and fun and interact with their readers. I think its commendable that for 7 years they kind of set a standard for blogging and they set it rather high and also made a living out of it. Blogging started out as a diary for most bloggers, and in the last 5 years we really saw a shift away from the personal stories into more of a branding type atmosphere and I blame ads and sponsored posts for a lot of that.

That said i think YHL should be looked at as both a family and business. As a family, I think they're fan base was a little unrealistic in their expectation that they would be able to keep the pace they were going at when their family grew and they added another child this year. I also think that they may have had a security scare at some point, that they have not brought to public attention. I was only a matter of time as they are so transparent and have a huge fan base. I also think they may be struggling as a family transitioning from 1 to 2 kids, maybe a touch of PPD.

As a business, IF they were too keep the blog as the main source of income they should have had the foresight to realize that they were spreading them selves too thin and taken on employee or two. whether that be an intern or childcare, whatever. They have so many balls in the air that they are constantly juggling - moving, secret projects, pregnancy, show houses, plus just life in general like vacations, illness, nights where baby doesn't sleep. They should have reached out for a helping hand a long time ago.

I think there are going to be big changes to the YHL brand and as much as they wanted this break to come off as spontaneous i think that it has be planned for a while, maybe not the exact timing but they had been thinking about it and were waiting for a good opening.

I've mostly just been disappointed in what they've done in H3 it feels very impersonable and not very special. Not like some of the tedious things they've done in the past but had a really big "wow" factor.

@Boogs: I agree that a lot of people are leaving blog reading for pinterest but that content that is pinned is mostly coming from blogs