1000 Follower Milestone - Thank You!

If you haven't noticed, Tools Are For Women Too recently passed the huge milestone of 1,000 followers. All I can say about it is that I am very thankful. This is a blog that is still only about 4 months old and the response has been overwhelming. Thank you.

I owe the success of "Tools" to a lot of the great people out there who have really "paid it forward", and helped promote my blog. Thank you again.

In order to give back to everyone, I will be incorporating a couple of pretty exciting changes soon. One of those changes is already in the works, and I will be officially unveiling it in a couple of days. (Hint: It is on my Navigation Bar right now.)

I also intend to do an additional giveaway next week to further celebrate the 1,000 followers. I am not sure what the prize will be yet, but it is bound to be one of my personally handmade items.

Thank you all very much. It is becoming a pretty amazing ride, and it just gets better every day. I am delighted that you are all a part of it.

Would you like to give your store or blog a little boost? My advertising is amazingly inexpensive. Just email me if you would like rates and details.

toolsr4women2@gmail.com

Up and Running!

Tools Are For Women Too is up and running again. After wearing my hardhat all morning, the basic construction on the site is done. There are more changes on the way, but at least the walls are up and we don't have to sleep in a hotel tonight.

The remodel this time was about the site being more functional. Bling will come later. For right now I wanted to make it easier for buyers and sellers to use, view, and navigate. I wanted an extra wide page to create more space for thumbnails and a 3 column layout that would allow me some versatility.

I will be bringing in interior decorators to help spruce up the place in upcoming weeks. Meanwhile I would appreciate your comments on the changes so far.

Site Remodeling Important Announcement

I wanted to let everyone know about the upcoming site remodeling project that I have planned. Tools Are For Women Too, has grown quickly and this has become badly needed. The remodel will take place sometime on Sunday, August 1st.

****Do not be alarmed if you are not able to log onto the site for a few hours. The remodel will be extensive and it will take some time, but it should be up and running again in time for Modern Craftswoman Monday.****

Here are a few of improvements that I have planned.....


I will be streamlining the blog to give it a cleaner look and hopefully faster loading times for all of you....

The sidebar will be wayyy more organized and user friendly.....

Party thumbnails will have more room due to a wider page.....

I will be switching over to a 3-column format, to add some versatility.....

And more changes are in the works.

Be sure to be here for the Modern Craftswoman Monday Link Party and check out the site changes at the same time.

Have a terrific weekend!

Craftswomen and Charity - Give me your input.

2 things seem constant in my life at this particular moment. One is terrific, the other not so good. It has really made think lately about what is really important out there.

The terrific thing I see is that every day when I log on the computer, I am really wowed by the amazing talent you craftswomen have. I get blown away daily by it. There seems to be several of you that really produce excellence in your particular craft. I also see an incredible desire from craftswomen to learn new things. I can't help but be stunned by it all. You should all be very proud.

Now for the bad news. Every time I log onto the computer, I also see the BP oil spill, soldiers fighting, homeless people in our cities, women in shelters....on and on and on. It's pretty awful.

Years ago, I made a kind of a weird promise to myself. I wanted to be able to play a musical instrument. I won't tell you which one. But, I promised myself that if I ever was able to create beautiful music, that I would share my gift and use my talent to help a few charities.

But the music thing never happened for me. Instead I am cursed with this desire to create sawdust. Occasionally though, I use my woodworking talent in the same way that I intended to use music. I belong to a local guild that does a variety of projects for some very needy groups and individuals. The guild has tackled projects like building furniture for women's shelters, wheel chair ramps for shut-ins, cabinets for soup kitchens, and doing educational woodworking seminars for kids and moms. It is a pretty amazing guild, to say the least.

Here is what I would like to know from all of you. Do any of you talented crafters out there use your talent to make the world a better place? Do you quilters ever make blankets for the homeless? Are there any of you that pick up a paint brush to help rejuvenate a neighborhood? Do any of you fabulous cooks ever help feed the hungry?

I am asking this because I have come to realize that blogging craftswomen are a very large and talented group of individuals, who I think could really make a difference out there.

I would like to hear some conversation from all of you regarding the use of your talents for charitable projects. If you have done it, let's hear about it. Tell us all about your project. If it has been something you wanted to do, but haven't done, tell us what you would like to do if you could. Which projects are important to you and why?

I am not sure where I am going with all of this. But, if enough of you out there get involved with commenting on this post I may try to do a link party or some feature posts where you can show off your charitable project. For right now, let's just hear from all of you.

So Why Would A Guy Write A Tool Blog For Women?

That's the question one of my readers asked me. She wanted to know why a guy like me would write a pink blog about women and tools. Well, to answer that I should probably tell you all a little bit about me.....

First of all, I do antique restoration and woodworking for a living. I have been working with my hands for over 3 decades and still enjoy it immensely. During this time, I have learned how to apply just about every finish there is, to cane chair seats, strip furniture, build stained glass windows, rewire lamps, weave rush, carve wood, use a lathe, and, and, and. Let's just say it's a long list at this point and the list gets bigger almost every week, because I love taking on new challenges.

One of the most rewarding things over the years for me has been teaching others how to work with their hands, as well. All anybody had to do was ask my advice and I would jump right in there and lend a hand. It didn't matter what the project was either. Building a deck, or repairing a fine antique, it was all good. So writing a woodworking advice blog actually makes sense for me.

But why for women? I guess that's the real question isn't it? Well, the idea came to me when I was stopped one day in a major home improvement store (again), by a woman who needed help and advice. She couldn't find an employee and I apparently looked like a guy who could answer a question or two. It must have been the sawdust in my hair.

I left the store wondering why once again I had been stopped by a woman who needed project advice. 30 years ago it was a real rarity. But now, it was becoming a common occurrence.

Then it hit me. It was simple. More women ask me for advice, because more women need advice. Here was a case where a woman in a home improvement store really wanted to tackle a project, but needed a guiding hand. In her search of the store, she couldn't find a knowledgeable employee and she somehow found me. Pretty flattering when you think about it.

I went home and did some online research. It seemed to me that there were a ton a woodworking sites out there, but about 99.9% of them were dominated by men who thought they were god's gift to sawdust. I could see instantly how there was probably wayyy too much testosterone in the room for most women to stick around there long.

So, I decided to build a tool and project site for women. No more huge amounts of testosterone. No more pictures of old men with their beer drinking buddies and a chain saw. This was to be a site that women would feel comfortable in. It would answer questions, encourage comments, post tutorials and be somewhat of a meeting place for craftswomen of all kinds. I also wanted to recognize women for some of their great work that I often see out there.

So, that is how Tools Are For Women Too! got it's start about 3 months ago. I hope all of you like it and find it worthwhile. It is a site that is still evolving and I welcome comments. Please let me know if I can help you.

Magical Ruby Red Shoes or Internet Links

My link party post from a couple days ago caused quite a flurry of comments. It was about how a lot of people who entered projects in Modern Craftswoman Monday were not linking back, or even following. I asked in the post for help from all of you. Wow!, did I ever get help! It was pretty amazing. Thank all of you who participated in the discussion.

The discussion shed some light on a couple things, and I thought I would share one of them with you in this post. Here it is.....

I think as party hosts we sometimes forget how fast the bloggersphere is growing. Last I heard, it was approaching 100, 000 brand new blogs per day. That is a tremendous amount of newcomers into bloggerland, who maybe are not the seasoned veterans that some of us are out here. And, you really can't expect newcomers to know about links, and parties, and etiquette, and, and, and... There is a learning curve that we all go through, and what seems simple to bloggers who have been around awhile, is a whole new world to the 1,000,000 bloggers that hit the streets in the last 10 days.

For those of you who are new out there and are maybe not certain about links, link parties, and what links do, here is a very layman explanation I came up with.....

Think of a link as being a pair of magical ruby red shoes that can bring a friend to your home. All they do is click, and they're there. They don't even have to click three times.

They just click once on a highlighted word or phrase and they are magically transported to your doorstep.

Bloggers who host link parties are usually doing so because they want to generate more of those magical links, that bring traffic to their site. Hosting a party correctly is a ton of work and it is considered poor etiquette to join a link party without at least linking back to the party somehow.

So, what is a link?

Here's one........ Link Party Directory. By clicking on the underlined phrase you are magically transported to my link party directory. When you get there you will find over 100 links listed. By clicking on any of those 100+ links you will be transported from my site, to another party somewhere else. It's actually pretty cool the way it works.

Here is another type of link. It's called a button......





<center><a href="http://toolsareforwomentoo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="toolsareforwomentoo" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4565738303_c1f085c93f_o.jpg" /></a></center>
Design by Trendy Treehouse


If you post my Tools Are For Women Too button on your site, people will be able to click on it and visit me instantly.

I never care how people link back to me. However they want to do it is fine. some hosts are a lot more particular, so a person needs to read the rules. Most hosts will love you for at least making an honest effort, and nearly all hosts will go out of their way to help you, if you have a question.

Here is the bottom line. I think a lot of bloggers out there are not linking back, simply because thet are not sure how to do it. There is a lot of confusion in bloggerland right now because of it's enormous growth. I can't fault someone for being new.

To all of you out there who need help, please let me know. I am always flattered when asked for my advice.

Love you all,

Rory

The Sunday Wrap Up - Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you. It has been quite a week here at Tools Are For Women Too! . I cannot thank everyone enough for the wonderful response my little blog has had. I was a busy guy trying to keep up with all of you.

The week started with the kickoff of my new Link Party Directory. It ended up with 100+ parties and has turned out to be quite a resource for you blog hoppers out there. It is permanently located on my navigation bar, if you would like to see it, or just Click Here.

The Modern Craftswoman Monday Link Party was also kicked off this week. Thank you to all of you that participated and linked up. We will be partying every Monday from here on out, so be sure to stop by and show off your projects.

Feature Friday-Great Craftswomen, also got it's start this week. Every Friday now, I will be featuring 1 or more of the great blogger craftswomen out there.

And then, there were projects....an Oven Rack Pull, and a Welsh Love Spoon Tutorial .

Did I mention the contest? The Sterling Silver Giveaway is just about over. At the time of this post we stand at 96 followers. When we hit 100, I will close it and draw a winner. Only 4 entries left! Just become a follower and your automatically entered.

Next week, I am planning on more great projects. Thank you everyone for making this week so successful. Have a fantastic Mother's Day. I hope to hear from all of you soon.

100 Link Parties!

The Link Party Directory now has over 100 parties listed! It wasn't easy. But, now whenever you want to join link parties, regardless of what day of the week it is, you can use Tools Are For Women Too! as your starting point.

The directory is located on the navigation bar, just under the header. One click, and the list appears. That easy!

If your blog is listed on the directory or if you use it and like it, please link back in some way. Grab my button, mention it on a post, put Tools Are For Women Too! on your party list, or whatever you feel you can do. I would really appreciate it. Putting this feature together was a pretty big project.

By the way, If your blog is not on the directory, let me know. I would be glad to put it on, as long as you will link back.

Please enjoy this new feature. I would love to hear comments on it.

Grab My Brand New Button!

How do you like my new button? It was designed by Tara over at Trendy Treehouse. Tara is really a wonderful lady. I think she really did a fantastic job! It is now on my sidebar, for anyone to grab that wants one. Tara told me that she might be doing a tutorial on how to make one for your blog too.

If you have never been over to the Trendy Treehouse, you are missing out. She hosts a great link party on Fridays called Follow Me Fridays. It literally draws hundreds of bloggers and you need to be a part of it. Here is her link http://thetrendytreehouse.blogspot.com/ She can also be found in my Link Party Directory, which is growing rapidly. Please check it out while you are here.

Wow! Alot Going On At Tools Are For Women Too!

First of all, you can still enter to win the first sterling silver necklace, but you need to hurry. I will be cutting off entries the moment I hit 100 followers. For those of you, who missed it, I am also giving away a second necklace. On the second necklace you can take advantage of 3 different ways to win. Click here for details on both drawings.



Jamee from Homemaker asked a terrific question about what kind of finish to use on outdoor furniture in extreme climates. I wrote a post on it. You can scroll down or click here to read it. After you read it, make sure you go see Jamee and say hello. If you have a question, please ask. I am always looking for interesting things to write posts on.



Next, I have started a Link Party Directory! If you are doing a weekly link party, you need to get on my list, by trading party links with me.



Tools Are For Women Too! will be holding it's first link party on Monday. Be sure you drop by for that.



Yesterday , I wrote about possibly trading guest feature posts with a few wonderful craftswomen. If you are interested, let me know.



I have also added a feature on my sidebar called " Every Girl Needs A Little Extra". Check it out.



And finally, later today, I will be writing a Feature Friday post where I highlight a few pretty great blogs, that I visited this week.



Whew! Makes me tired just thinking about all this stuff.

Tools Are For Women Too!

It seems every time I go into a home improvement store these days I see more and more women attempting DIY projects, and succeeding! I find it pretty refreshing that craftsmanship is now evolving into craftspersonship. And besides, I think the term craftswoman has a nice ring to it, don't you?

Occasionally when I am in one of those big home improvement stores a woman will come up to me and ask for advice, even though I don't work there. Maybe it's because there are generally no employees to be found, or maybe it's just because the employees know less than they do. I guess I get picked out because I usually have more sawdust on my pants than anyone else in the store. Whatever the reason, I am glad to help.

This blog is all about helping the craftswoman. I will be doing tutorials, product features, DIY projects, and tool reviews.

I would also like to invite you into my online store. In it you will find brand names like Cricut, Dewalt, Gingher, Dremel, Milwaukee, and Xacto, just to name a few. New inventory is being added daily and pleeeease let me know if you need a particular item I am not presently carrying. I value your comments and input.

Please browse as long as you want and enjoy yourself while you are here.