A full year ago, we opened up spots for advertisers in our sidebar and then three months after, I decided to close them. At the time we decided to take a sponsor hiatus, we had a good amount of sponsors, but something felt forced.  Honestly, I found myself mimicking one style of accepting advertisers and realized it wasn’t how I wanted to handle or present these companies at all. I could sense there was a change occurring in my blogging style and in my personal taste and I didn’t want to find myself in a routine of doing something one way, when everything else seemed to be changing for the better. All I could see was our blog was growing so the next natural step was advertisers?  Not always the case.

I have spent the last year working on honing my own personal style, which we’ve discovered is a lot different than where we started. Through honing our decor style, I’ve also settled into a writing style that feels natural, making our virtual home feel a lot more comfortable, too. Bottom line–this has been an important growing period for me and this blog.  I have learned (and you should hear this, too) it is okay to sit back, research, partner and create friendships with companies you love and trust and bloggers that inspire you, too.  Pick a couple that you admire, that feel in line with where you are headed, and deem them your mentor.  I’ve asked a lot of questions to, at first, total strangers, but now great friends–some I now even text for advice on impulse buys (hi Kim!). All of this has landed me in a place where I feel excited to connect our readers to companies and products and vice versa.

So, here we are, after a year of growing, learning and discovering the true tone and direction of our blog (that will surely keep evolving for the better)–I feel confident in opening up our sidebar sponsor spots again.  Officially.  If you own or are part of a small shop, flourishing business or large corporation and are interested in advertising on Chris Loves Julia, email sponsor@chrislovesjulia.com or check out our advertise page for more information. We can’t wait to show you off on the best version of our blog.

Ps. Hilarious outtake from our spring family pics, right?!  

Also! A new dish from Chris is up on his blog.