32 fun blog post writing prompt ideas for this summer (or anytime!)

Over the course of more than seven years of vintage blogging, one naturally sees certain patterns emerge, both within their own process and throughout the online community at large.

For me personally, as well as numerous others I've spoken to about the topic, one of those things is that come summertime, as the beautiful - but also often draining - summer heat is out in full force, our blogging mojo or simply the energy needed to write posts can go flying out the window faster than a paper drink umbrella caught in a warm tropical breeze.

I've actually said before, only half jokingly, that if I could pen all my posts for June, July and August in the dead of winter, I happily would.

Of course such is neither practical nor very feasible, so naturally I've never done so (though I have often started brainstorming post ideas that far in advance). Instead what I try to do is just pace myself, focus all the more on outfit posts (tis the season after all!), and try to extend the fun, laid back vibe of summer to my blog writing, too.

My birthday is coming up this Sunday (on the 10th) and I've been racking my brain for a while trying to decide what to pen about for the last post of my 31st year of life. A few ideas bounced around for a while, but none lit up my eyes quite like the idea of sharing 32 different blogging post writing prompts with all of you (one each for every year of my life).

No matter if you find summer a little trickier to blog during or not, this list is handy and helpful the whole year through - especially because, objectively, just about everyone who blogs will eventually run into times when you need a little extra creative boost to help you come up with fun, fresh new ideas for blog posts (though I have covered some of these topics here over the years, I have not, to date, written posts with these same titles myself).

So with that said, on this fabulously sunny Friday morning, let us all jump head first in the following list of...

32 fun blog post 

writing prompt ideas

1. Twelve (or whatever number you desire) of my favourite summer recipes (vintage or otherwise)

2. A Day in the Life type of look at how you spend an average (or not so average, as the case may be) summer day

3. What's inside my summer beach bag (or weekend bag. A fun spin on the classic "what's in my purse" post

4. Summer just wouldn't be the same for me without these seven songs/movies/TV shows

5. The "ingredients" of my perfect vintage/1940s/1950s/rockabilly/pinup (or whatever style/era you favour) summer outfit include

6. Ten things you love and ten that you dislike about this season

7. A look at my summer beauty rituals

8. Five places I wish I was spending this summer (dream holiday locations, with old friends, etc)

9. By this time next year I hope to have accomplished X (where "x" is the name of the goal you're discussing)

10. What's on my summer reading list this year

11. Recollections of my first summer job

12. Twelve desserts that make summer so much sweater for me

13. The historical (and/or fictional) figures that I'd invite to my ultimate summer tiki (or cocktail or garden or tea) party

14. This summer I'm making [insert name of craft/project/baked item/etc]

15. Revive an old schooldays tradition and, as the season winds down, pen a post called "How I spent my summer vacation"

16. One thing I really want to try for the first time this summer is

17. Eight of my all-time favorite summer scents (e.g., suntan lotion, pina colads, fresh cut grass, air dried linens, food on the grill, etc)

18. Interview an elderly family member about the childhood/early adult summer memories from decades past

19. How to have a fabulous summer staycation in [insert the name of your town/city]

20. My top five summer photography tips (they can be for outfit shoots and/or any other type of photography)

21. Vintage essentials for a great summer camping trip (or picnic, barbeque, or garden party)

22. Four WIP (works in progress) that I want to get finished before Labour Day rolls around

23. Why I like (or, conversely, dislike) summertime fashion so much more than winter

24. Seven moments/memories from summers past that will forever define (or speak to) the season for me

25. How to style a glam summertime evening look

26. My ultimate summer music playlist

27. The best thing that happened to me this summer was

28. DIY vintage summer decor ideas

29. My favourite Instagram snaps from this summer

30. 15 ways that I love to relax (or, if you prefer, stay active) during the summer months

31. Six things I can't stop pinning photos of (to Pinterest) this summer

32. What a difference a year makes (looking back on any major changes in your life from this time point last year)

{Though these thirty-two assorted post prompt ideas ideas are geared towards summer, you can easily switch them to any other time of the year or ditch the seasonal element entirely and put them to work on your blog whenever you please. Super charming vintage photo source.}

♥ ♥ ♥

Which of these post ideas jump out at you? Do you keep a list of post writing prompts to hand throughout the year? Do you find that your blogging mojo sometimes wanes during the roasty-toasty days of summer?

I hope that you guys enjoyed this selection of thirty-two different possible post ideas. Please feel free to let me know in the comments, if you did, and if there's a lot of enthusiasm for them, I may very well share more in future posts of this nature.

To help celebrate my birthday to the fullest, I'm giving myself a three-day weekend and will be back here bright and early on Tuesday morning with a delightful new vintage summer outfit shoot to share with all of you.

Right now though, there's a tasty  b-day dessert to be made and perhaps, spurred on my these ideas, a fresh new summertime post or two to begin working on myself!

Absence makes the (blogger's) heart grow fonder

There comes a point - generally around the seven day mark - when, after having not blogged (let alone been on the computer one iota), a gal begins to pine for the internet. At first, after a day or two, or perhaps three, of not flicking on one her monitor, she feels almost as though a sense of freedom has permeated her universe. Days four and five are often ripe with events, findings, and thoughts which suddenly - as if out of the blue - feel as though they would make for the most inspired and delightful of posts.

Come the sixth and seventh days - and beyond - a longing sets in. Yes, there is solace and relaxation in the fact that one gets to unwind (or, perhaps more literally, unplug) for a spell, but then that itch, that yearning which resides in every writer's soul to put thought down on paper (virtual or real world) swims to the surface and leaps from the still waters like a hyperactive dolphin arching towards the heavens.

Or at least, this is how it is - always - for me. No matter the reason, intentionally chosen or thrust upon me, when I'm on a brief hiatus from the realm of blogging and being online, I feel that way. And when I do, I find my passion for blogging is suddenly, captivatingly, renewed (even if I didn't feel like it was waning in the slightest in the first place). A point which I rather adore experiencing.

Life, since we last chatted, dear friends, has been a massive whirlwind of activity, and yet also powerfully serene at times as well. The latter point, no doubt, comes from laying down each night under my mother's roof, at home after so many - too many - years on the long, engrained road of life.

Our new dwelling, gorgeous and begging to be filled with belongings and newly crafted memories, sits patiently still, as do my husband and I, while we await (a tad longer still) the arrival of our worldly goods, on a large truck that has to cross the great, massive width that is Canada.

{In the very near future it will be time to start the great unpacking - from boxes, bags, totes, you name it! Charmingly fun 1950s image via the Life magazine archives.}

I, however, simply had to find a computer, steal a moment (amidst days spent eating gluten-free s'mores for lunch and catching up on reading the many books I'd not had time to read over the past four months, as life became ever more devoted to our move), and pop in to say a cheerful hello from a (peacefully snowy) corner of British Columbia – as well as to thank everyone who left beautiful, encouraging comments on my last post. I adored logging in and feeling positively warm and fuzzy as I read them this evening.

Soon our belongings will arrive, followed by much unpacking, and then a return to the usual ebb and flow of life. Only (s0 much) better.

Happiest, sweetest wishes for an amazing March to you each. We'll connect again soon. ♥

Answering the A to Z About Me questionnaire

✯ Day 322 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

On a number of different sites recently I've been seeing a fun blog game pop up in which people share quick facts about themselves based on an alphabetized series of questions. (Each time I spot this neat game, I find myself struck by how well many of the 26 answers would work as prompts/inspiration for blog posts unto themselves.)

I rather enjoy quick sets of questions like today’s “A to Z About Me” one that help capture little everyday moments and facts about myself  in a handy list form that I can reflect back on in the years to come (who knows how many of my answers will still be the same in ten, twenty, or more years), not to mention share more about myself with all of you.

So without further ado, I present my answers to the…

 

A to Z About Me blog questionnaire

 

A. Age: 27 (and four months!).

B. Bed size: Queen (which houses me, the mister, and our kitty)

C. Chore that you hate: Scrubbing out dirty garbage cans (especially in the summer!).

D. Dogs: Love them to no end (especially English bulldogs!), but do not currently have any.

E. Essential start to your day: A kiss from my husband.

F. Favourite color: It's a three way tie between pink, burgundy and turquoise.

G. Gold or Silver: Honestly, copper or bronze, but of the two, gold.

H. Height: 5'2" (love being on the petite side!).

I. Instruments you play: Unless instruments of make-up application count, I’m out of luck here!(Because I don't know how to play any musical ones.)

J. Job title: Daydream believer (or, as I’m more commonly known as, a commercial photographer and writer).

K. Kids: One fine day.

L. Live: Each day with passion and joy.

M. Mother’s name: Lynn (sweet and beautiful, just like her).

N. Nicknames: Too many to count...Piccolina, which is the Italian female form of the term "little one", is a beloved favourite that my husband gave me years ago.

O. Overnight hospital stays: More than I care to remember.

P. Pet peeves: No, just a pet cat . Jokes aside, one of my pet peeves is when stores are messy and their shelves are in a state of disarray. This bugs me so much that on numerous occasions, I've actually started cleaning up said messy shelves while in the midst of shopping.

Q. Quote from a movie: "From the moment we enter this life we are in the flow of it. We measure it and We mock it, but we cannot defy it. We cannot even speed it up or slow it down. Or can we? Have we not each experienced the sensation that a beautiful moment seemed to pass to quickly, and wished that we could make it linger? Or felt time slow on a dull day, and wished that we could speed things up a bit?" ~ Edward Norton as Eisenheim in The Illusionist.

R. Right or left handed: Right, but as a child I taught myself how to be ambidextrous, in case something ever happened to my right hand.

S. Siblings: Indeed, a younger brother and sister.

T. Time you wake up: Varies just about every day.

U. Underwear: Corsets for show, French lace for day-to-day practicality.

V. Vegetable you hate: (Though technically this is a veggie turned into a dish/ingredient...) I've never been crazy about sauerkraut.

W. What makes you run late: If I forget that Daylight Savings Time has begun.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: See "O".

Y. Yummy food that you love: Anything my mom makes - especially her chicken pot pie, cheddar broccoli soup, and mind-blowingly good cinnamon buns.

Z. Zoo animal: Otters holding hands at the Vancouver Aquarium.

 

{Lovely vintage cross stitch alphabet that you could easily use for both embroidery and paper crafting projects alike, via April-Mo on Flickr.}

 

I'm not going to tag anyone else specifically to answer this series of questions, but definitely encourage all of my readers to take a few moments and fill it out yourself (you can blog about it, or keep it private for your own eyes only).

I adore how in a matter of minutes I've put together a fantastic list of starting points for everything from future blog posts to scrapbook pages, and hope that the same will be true for you ,too,  if you decide give this fun blog game a spin.