A Farm Girl’s Life: On DIY, Crafts, and Finding Inspiration Everywhere

Allison, the 16-year-old blogger and photographer at A Farm Girl’s Life, never runs out of ideas. Her blog is proof that life on her family’s farm in Virginia is full of inspiration: she publishes DIY tutorials, craft projects, word challenges, pet and photography posts, and more — and finds creative ways to engage with her readers.

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You’re from a homeschooled family of seven and live on a 500-acre farm. How does blogging connect you to people around the world?

It’s amazing to me that people who live in the Philippines and India and Australia have visited my blog. Blogging makes it easy to meet people who share your interests, no matter where they live. I have made friends with so many wonderful girls, like Clara, K. A., and Hayley, to name just a few, whom I wouldn’t have met if I hadn’t started blogging.

You interact with your readers in fun, meaningful ways. What types of games and challenges do you host on your blog?

I love interacting with my readers through challenges like WordCrafters, Mystery Pictures, and Art Lab. WordCrafters is a writing challenge for young bloggers where each participant adds a chapter to the story. I created it because many of the bloggers in my circle, including me, enjoy writing.

Piece of chocolate…or a tire? Look closer in Allison’s Mystery Pictures #7.

In Mystery Pictures, I show my readers some super close-up photos I’ve taken, and they “solve the mysteries.”

Hayley, Anika, Clara, my sister Megan, and I write the Art Lab series, where we collect and show art inspiration and our own art projects.

Friends and siblings on a barn roof.

Many bloggers focus on a particular passion, but your blog is a space for all of your interests, from DIY to photography. Where do you find your inspiration each day?

Since my site is a lifestyle blog, I usually find inspiration from, well, life! If there is a gorgeous sunset one evening, I’ll post pictures of that; if I’ve made a fun craft, I’ll post a tutorial so my readers can try it, too. Sometimes when I’m stuck I’ll continue a series I’ve started, or do a flashback post.

How do you decide what to post? Do you have an editorial calendar, or do you go with the flow?

I usually just go with the flow of the happenings in my life or the blogosphere. Often I browse through my recent pictures. That usually jogs my mind — “Oh yeah, I was going to post about my room makeover.” Sometimes when I’m overwhelmed with post ideas, I make drafts (sometimes just a title of a sentence) of each idea to help me remember them later.

What types of posts do your readers respond to the most? 

My Tree Stump Fairy House post is by far the most popular since it was featured on Discover, but my other popular posts are pet posts (because how can you resist adorable animals?), and my challenges like Mystery Pictures and WordCrafters.

One of their bunnies, Lily, meets a calf.

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DIY fun from A Farm Girl’s Life

New to Allison’s blog? Here are five easy tutorials for you, your child, or whole family.

What are the top 5 tutorials on your blog? Tell us in a new post and share the link in the comments!

Make miniature clay doughnuts

Allison likes to make things out of polymer clay, which she sells on her Etsy shop, WeeLittleCrafts. This tutorial shows you how to make tiny glazed, sprinkled, and chocolate-covered doughnuts.

Build a zoo terranium

Making use of all the little plastic animals lying around, Allison and her sister Carmen show you how to create a zoo terranium in a glass aquarium using soil, wooden craft sticks, plastic eggs, cardboard, and other things.

Design a personalized name photo card

In this craft and photography project, Allison shows you how to make an accordion-style name card, using “Grandaddy” as an example.

Draw your own feathers

Got some cardstock and colored markers? This tutorial offers a few steps to make colorful, whimsical “feathers” that you can cut out and display however you’d like.

Create a cardboard roll organizer

Ever wondered what to do with all those cardboard rolls you’ve accumulated? In this project, you’ll transform a cardboard roll into a cute organizer for your knickknacks.

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What are the top 5 tutorials on your blog? Tell us in a new post and share the link in the comments.