Bower Power is a mess. A hot hard-to-navigate-good-luck-finding-anything-on-your-own kinda mess. And it’s driving me crazy. Totally nuts. A very select few of you have read the archived posts…ten thousand points to you. A couple (like maybe four of you…hi mom…and grandparents…and inlaws) have been around long enough to have read from the beginning. And the rest? Well, you joined the party along the way…some more recently than others. So I can only imagine that 99% of you reading this probably don’t realize that there is a gold mine of projects in this blog. (ok ok…gold mine might be a little exaggeratory….more like salt mine but you get the point).
And if you read far enough back…like from yesterday….you’ll know that one of my goals was to infuse a little more organization in my spaces. Bower Power is a space that I spend significant time in 🙂 So for the past week I’ve been working really really late (yawn4ameverynight) to try to create a Project Catalog for you guys. I have the past two years and a few months cataloged already and hope to be adding more soon.
How do you access this plethora of projecty funness? Click on “Project Catalog” in the header navigation bar and it will bring you to the Project Catalog menu. There are different catagories of projects – everything from arts & crafts to photography to DIY posts. All of the past projects (like I said – from the past couple years), are in one of those bad boy categories. You can click on any of the photos or on the ‘click for more’ button to see all the posts in that category.
Oh and if you scroll over the photo, a little caption describing that post pops up…so you know exactly what to expect 🙂
Right now there is only eight categories…hopefully in the future, I can add more but it’s a good start and those 8 sections do cover the majority of posts that I have published. Wish me luck as I try to tackle the other 28 months I have left! Oh and happy clicking!
p.s. For all you other bloggers, I used the Catablog plugin to create the Project Catalog and so far, so good. What do you have?
Are you putting the personal posts into a category? (maybe I missed it if you do). I just was browsing the other day for when you announced you were pregnant and had to dig deep to find it 🙂
No…I didn’t include anything that didn’t fit into the categories you see. Hopefully in the future I can do a Baby & Kid category and a travel category 🙂
xo – kb
Wow! This is so super helpful! Thanks for putting in all the time to make this happen — it certainly makes it easier to go back and reference all your awesome projects!
I love the look of the catalog! Do you know if this plugin will work with Blogger?
Such good timing. I’m starting up my new website/blog and was trying to catalog all my photography sessions and tutorials! Thanks for catablog suggestion…I’m going to have to try it out. Congrats on your new little guy!
Yes – I believe it will!
xo – kb
Looks great! And also agreed on your resolutions…I am going to squeeze my little ones right now!
WOW. Love it. Thanks for doing this! I will now spend the rest of nap time clicking on as many links as I can, to read about projects I haven’t seen and to re-read ones about projects I loved. 🙂
It’s lovely, Katie, and so easy to navigate!
I am so excited you are making your archives easier to navigate… I love your style and your thoughts on life, and as a first-time expecting mom I would love to be able to find your thoughts and posts on pregnancy, preparing for baby, and staying sane while DIYing and diapering at the same time!
Good job, Katie!! I’m sure this took forever but it looks awesome and will be super helpful to new readers like moi. 🙂
I used catablog too for my Projects page! Great plug-in.
Oooh, I hope so as I have been avoiding doing mine hoping something easier would come along!
I’m so excited for this! I have read older posts though the links at the bottom of posts but this catalog will make that tons easier 🙂 … I often giggle while reading your blog and my manfriend will comment ‘You’re reading Katie again aren’t you?’ … he especially loved your Tapenga line in a recent post!
I just want to give you a virtual pat on the back…with two young kids at home, I am super impressed that you’ve been able to do this! I hope you were able to make up the sleep you’ve missed!
Whoooweeee that is a lot of work! You go girl 🙂
Now I can spend EVEN MORE time browsing Bower Power!!!
I’m not the best at this fancy blogging stuff yet, and I’m not sure if I know how to use this with blogger. Has anyone done it and can provide instructions? Thanks!
Soooo HAPPY, THANKFUL, GLAD… (Insert any joy word here) that you did this. I have been searching your blog and google for old posts that I have seen but wanted to reference the past few days. I even went through the archives and tried to find the month a project was done.. Looking at redoing some rooms and was looking for your office reveal, kitchen paint color, etc. Can’t wait to use the new feature!
God Bless and Thank you for all that you share in your personal and DIY life!
P.S. – We are expecting our first child and found out that it’s a BOY! Love hearing about Will, Weston and your adventures!
I’ve heard good things about Catablog and I even installed the plugin, buuuuttt I’ve yet to actually use it. It’s on my to-do list for this week though!
Great job! I’m sure it was a TON of work, but it looks fantastic. I just took a quick look through them and it reminded me of some great projects I wanted to go back and revisit.
LOVE the captions on the “click for more” images. You crack me up Mrs. Bower 🙂
Yipppeeee! I’ve searched your site in the past (we built the same Ana-White bed and I made the sunburst mirror out of wood shims like yours, for example) and really appreciate all of the hard work you’ve put into the catalog!
Way to go, Nightowl! I love this! You totally inspired me to make a project gallery of my own. I wish that I could of used Catablog for their hover titles. Sadly, I blog on the blogger platform and as far as I know, we don’t have a similar gadget.
I think you need to add a category just for your boyfriend. 😉
I’m totally going to brag that I get to claim 10,000 points. Because when you’re saving up, 10,000 goes a long way. One of the things I love about galleries is getting to see projects you’ve forgotten because it’s been awhile and you’ve read a ton of stuff since then. Good way to rediscover the gold mine. 🙂
I love this! I was just referencing some of your photography posts the other day and had a hard time finding that newborn one. SO Great!! I can’t believe you’re staying up until 4am with a newborn. I am barely functioning with my 2yo and 4mo and I go to bed at 11pm…the 5am wake up call to nurse isn’t helping, but still!!! You’re a superwoman!
Just a couple days ago I spent about 15 minutes scouring your blog for a post you did (I think) on a countertop refinishing product (mom’s basement kitchen or something?) and finally I had to give up. I’ve only been reading a few months so it must be fairly recent but still I couldn’t find it. Did I imagine it was you?
Nope…it was me. It’s listed under the Kitchen Category as Countertop Makeover. Here’s the link 🙂
xo – kb
I’d love to see a baby/pregnancy category! I loved reading your posts about Will’s birth story, but ohh, man, did I have to work to find them! (Worth it, though–I really love your blog.)
Katie–
This is awesome! Huge organizational accomplishment! And I also second the 4am what the what?! Although newborn time is a very fluid thing so I get it. One tiny little suggestion is: could you darken the font color of the “click for more”? It could be my computer, could be my aging eyes, but I was all “Katie has done more than 4 arts and craft projects but how the heck…?” and lots of confused clicking before I spotted it. No biggie. Again congrats on baby, congrats on blogging organization, congrats on being you!
Jennifer
I like it! Can’t wait to comb though the old posts!
I’ll definitely get on that after I get things sorted! Here is Will’s page for anyone else…it does have a lot of stuff all together and should make it a little easier 🙂
xo – kb
haha…manfriend 🙂
xo – kb
I’ll totally replace that 🙂
xo – kb
YAY! Congrats on your little guy 🙂
xo – kb
What a sa-weet resource! Pumped to scan through all those old home reno posts for some inspiration around here 🙂 Good work!
Looks great! What a huge accomplishment!!!
Woo-hoo! I’m one of the handful that has read through all of your archived posts… in just under 3 months!
Am I missing it or do you have a search funtion?
Thanks for doing all that work for us KB! I just went through the blog a couple weeks ago in your holiday section (one of my favorites) looking for inspiration for crafts. This will make it even easier to reference older posts. Thank you and I hope you are taking it as easy as you can!
Lynn
I moved it…now it’s right below the social media buttons 🙂
xo – kb
As a result of your reorganization I was able to find this gem, “it was worse than a nudist colony for those with unexpectant and explosive diarhea.” Thanks, Katie!
I am pretty sure I have read every lil post of yours in the last 6 months or so I have been lurking. 🙂
But this is great news!
Work that into normal conversation…it’s fun 🙂
xo – kb
Good job Katie!
I just checked out your photography category and it looks terrific. Not too overloaded but lots of ideas. Excellent work. I’m just about to go on my first maternity leave and now I can easily find your best projects. Sexy Rexy is at the top of my list!
Thanks so much,
Stephanie
Thanks for the plugin tip!! Very much appreciated. We’ve just started a redesign for our WordPress theme and I’d like to reboot our Project page, right now it’s just a bunch of links. I was thinking about making individual buttons in Photoshop, but this Plugin may make it all easier. Thanks!
Hi Katie and Catherine. Unfortunately I couldn’t get this plug-in to work with Blogger, but I found a tutorial online that uses a really simple HTML. I got it working on my blog. Thanks for the inspiration!
Tutorial: http://www.laurascraftylife.com/2011/12/blogger-image-gallery-tutorial.html
My Travel Archive: http://www.calliscrossing.blogspot.co.uk/p/travel-archives.html
Looks great Katie! I’m always amazed by how much you get done with the TWO kiddies now. It’s quite impressive lady! I can barely get my bizness together and have no kids…and most of the time sound as panicked as Jessie in that very special SBTB episode where she took the caffeine pills. “I’m so excited! I’m so excited! I’m so….scared!”
OH GREAT! I’m so glad and thanks for posting the links just in case someone else is looking 🙂
xo – kb
I don’t know how you found the time to do this but thanks.. now I am off to read lots of old posts in bed.. night!! xx
I discovered your Project Catalog the other day when I wanted to show a friend the engineer print you did for Will’s room. Didn’t realize it wasn’t there before, but it was there just when I needed it! I found the project with no problems–nicely done!
I could kiss you. Have been looking online for this for a long time. Yay
This is awesome!! Thank you for sharing the plugin that you used, too.
I just raced to try it because it turns out I’d installed that plugin ages ago…then remembered why I stopped trying to use it.
When I load up a page with the galleries I’ve created, it shows every single thumbnail in a long list down the page, not going across (l to r) with the thumbnails in a tidy row like yours.
Is there a secret to creating the rows with “click for more?” Thanks in advance!!
Go into options under Catablog and adjust your size…mine is 132 px square…that should allow your little boxes to be side by side. I did seperate galleries for the “four boxes with click for more”…so that Project Catalog page is actually a page with all 8 mini galleries that each link to the bigger gallery. Does that make any sense?
xo – kb
Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to organize and do this!!! And I agree with others….you should do a toddler/baby category & mother’s tips category (when you find the time). 🙂
I’m the world’s worst blog procrastinator, but I’m back to say, yes, what you said makes sense.
I am working on it again now. Thanks again for sharing this awesomeness 🙂