
1. The Beginning
I went to the first Blissdom Conference four years ago. I sat with Mandi Ehman in an affiliate marketing class and we joked that we were going to start a gift guide blog so we could make big money off of Amazon affiliate links.
From that conversation I started Top Ten {Tuesday}. She started Jungle Deals & Steals. Now you know which one of us is the bloggy genius! (Clue: Her.)
2. The First
For a few months only about 5 people linked up. I read every single post, commented on each and tweeted about their posts. Pretty soon 17 people linked up. Then 25. And one day, after a post about blogging, I had 55 people link up! I couldn’t believe it!
3. Now
Every week between 50 and 75 people link up with Top Ten {Tuesday}. We tweet, stumble and pin other’s posts. And I feel like it’s been a really fun and successful carnival.
4. Let’s stop for a minute and talk about the difference between a carnival and a meme.
I’m sorry, this has nothing to do with anything, but I have to get it off my chest. A carnival is when a group of bloggers write about the same topic (or in our case, the same format!). A meme is when you answer questions like one of those old school emails where they ask you what kind of color crayon you’d be.
Top Ten {Tuesday}, Works for Me Wednesday and Made By You Monday are carnivals. This is a meme. Now, go in peace.
Where was I? Oh yeah…
5. My Blogginess
If you’ve been around here awhile, you know I’ve gone through some changes on my blog in the last year. First I stopped posting 6 times a week. (What a relief!) Then I took the whole month of August off.
Since Truth in the Tinsel happened, I’ve felt more and more that I have to devote significant, thoughtful time to my Impress Your Kids blog.
But one thing kept hanging over my head: Top Ten {Tuesday}. It seems silly but I really try to bring quality posts to you every Tuesday.
I see Top Ten {Tuesday} as a day guests are coming to my house. I want my bloggy home gussied up and ready for you. And you know I like entertaining!
But it’s stressful, too because sometimes I feel like I have nothing more to say. Like I’ve said it all before and can’t think of anything else to give you.
6. The Point
Top Ten {Tuesday} is moving. It’s not leaving. It’s just getting a new home. I thought and thought about somewhere Top Ten {Tuesday} could go. Maybe make it’s own website? Let it be up for grabs to the first person to link up next week?
Nah. I needed to give it to someone who loved it like I do!
7. The Person
I sent an email to my friend Angie from Many Little Blessings a few weeks ago and asked her if she’d take over Top Ten {Tuesday}. She said she was so surprised she almost spit her pita sandwich out of her mouth. (See? Don’t you love her already?)
Angie is a long-time Top Ten {Tuesday} linker-upper. She consistently writes fun, insightful posts. She actually guest-posted Top Ten {Tuesday} back in August and her post got over 600 shares! (To compare, my last normal Top Ten {Tuesday} got 20. Ahem.)
Angie also runs 2 other blogs: The Homeschool Classroom and Catholic Mothers Online. Plus, she has an etsy shop AND a web design business called Tiny Owl. SERIOUSLY?! She’s magic.
Plus, she likes Disney. Yeah.
8. The Plan
This week I’m introducing Angie and her fabu blog to you. Next Tuesday, I’ll host Top Ten {Tuesday}’s linky here AND Angie will host it at her blog, too. So, if you link up here, it will show up on Angie’s blog. If you go over to Angie’s and link up, it will show up here, too.
Then the first Tuesday of March, Top Ten {Tuesday} will be at it’s own new little home at Many Little Blessings. And I know it (and you) will be very happy, welcomed and comfortable there!
9. The Button
We’ve already got a new button for you! So grab it here, use it on your posts and start making the trek to Angie & Many Little Blessings on Tuesdays.

{If this doesn’t work for you–try looking at the HTML on your blog: make sure the ” are not curly or backwards. Just go in and switch them. It should work. If not, you’ll have to save it to your computer, upload it and link it yourself. These scrolling HTML boxes will be the death of me!!}
10. The Same
All the fabulous things you love about Top Ten {Tuesday} will be the same—the camaraderie, the hashtag (#toptentues) and the excuse to use a list for a blog post! I’m sure Angie has some fabulous ideas for making Top Ten {Tuesday} even better, so please give her all your love and devotion.
Thank you so much for making Top Ten {Tuesday} an outstanding place in the blogosphere. I love reading all your posts and seeing you interact in the comments and on twitter. Thank you for loving it with me! Next week I’m going to write an entire list devoted to the awesomeness of Top Ten {Tuesday}.
(Yes, I realize this is only an invisible carnival on an invisible website, but I still kinda have feelings for it! My little baby carnival!)
Can’t wait to see you for Top Ten {Tuesday}: The Finale. Now, get on over to Many Little Blessings and say hello to Angie!
:: :: ::
You know what to do: WRITE a fabulous Top Ten list on your blog. LINK to me somewhere in it. PASTE the direct url to your post on the linky below. Start LOVIN’ on the rest of the participants with visits, comments, stumbles, pins, likes and tweets (#toptentues).
Well, I love Angie and I think this is going to a great new home.
I appreciate all of your insights into blogging and life in general. Thank you for starting this and now passing the torch.
1) It’s me, Jen from BigBinder. I’ve made some changes myself so I get it 🙂 Life moves on.
2) This is the only carnival I remotely post with any regularity in.
3) Thank you for clarifying for the world what has bugged me since 2009 with the Carnival/Meme thing. It’s like calling a post a blog.
4) Thank you for your honesty and knowing when it’s time to grow and move on.
5) Thank you for your recent posts about blogging, they are FANTASTIC.
6) Have fun at Blissdom!
7) I love Many Little Blessings and I’m excited for her.
8) I have ripped off 90% of her First Communion ideas for my son.
9) I’m still kind of sad it won’t be here anymore.
10) God Bless you both 🙂
Shock shock shock. But I totally get it. The feelings you express about hosting TTT, that’s how I feel about blogging in general. Feel like quitting twice a week. I’m not great at keeping up with others’ blogs, so I’ll have to try to remember to stop by regularly now that you’re not hosting. Hopefully I’ll be seeing you at TTT over there every once in a while.
Love and appreciate your honesty here, and I’m so glad that Top Ten Tuesday will live on! When it becomes stressful (in a bad way), we should look for other solutions – I’m so glad you did that here. It is a great lesson!
So sad that it’s moving….but I love that you found a new home for it 🙂 It’s one of my favorite posts to write 🙂
While chatting with my little sister Angie the other day, her excitement just could not be contained! While I am completely sad that you will not be hosting this anymore Amanda, I am UBER excited that my sista is picking up where you are leaving it off…
Two beautiful women… we are all so blessed!
Wow, TopTenTuesday has grown quite a bit, hasn’t it? lol
It’ll be weird, not coming here to link up every week. Not only do I love coming here to link up every Tuesday, I like to come by because of how nice you are. You were the first blogger I had ever met on here, and your posts actually inspired me to want to start my own blog a couple years ago. Even though your TTT posts won’t be here anymore, what were your plans on blogging? Are you planning on staying at OhAmanda, or blogging more at ImpressYourKids now?
Hope you have an awesome day! Off to work I go! =)
-Samantha
Thanks, Samantha! Honored my blog helped yours! 😉
We’ll talk about ohAmanda vs. Impress Your Kids later this week…
a
I’m so sad that TTT won’t be here anymore! 🙁 Happy for Angie, though! 🙂 I read them every week–even if I don’t comment or participate. *she says sheepishly*
LOL @ “Now, go in peace.”
Also, I love the IYK blog (even though I rarely comment there, too).
Thank you for explaining the difference between a carnival or link party and a meme. I have been wondering that for a very, very long time.
So excited for you.
I can’t wait to see how following His leading will bless your socks off!!!
How exciting! Congrats to Angie! And congrats to you, Amanda, for a big decision to go all-in at Impress Your Kids. I’m excited to see where it leads you!
Aw, I have always loved TTT and I know it’s like your baby so it’s hard to see it go!
I have often thought of doing a carnival. In fact, I did do one a few years ago which was a dismal failure. But here’s my question: would you recommend it to other bloggers at this point? I know you’ve blogged before that the people weren’t “sticky” and your traffic only increased on Tuesdays. Or, at least that’s the way I remember it. Are there any other benefits to hosting one besides traffic? Is it worth the energy? Any tips you learned creating and managing a carnival?
Hmmm…sounds like a whole post I should write. First: it’s not that it’s a lot of work it’s just that you have to be so faithful. TTT is cool bc anyone can participate but at the same time you can’t just link up any old post that kinds sorta fits the theme.
I think I’ll write about some of this next week. It’s oddly fascinating to me.
Thanks so much for hosting. I always enjoy reading the other top 10 lists! I’m sad it’s moving but I’m glad it’s not going away entirely. Have a great week.
Thank you!!
a
1. I am SO excited for Angie!
2. I’m sad that I won’t get to visit you each Tuesday {although, I’m sure I’ll be stopping by frequently to say “hi”}!
3. Hooray for you making your blog work for you instead of you working for your blog!
LOVE #3. I need to write that down!!
a
Girl, so hard to decide that, right? I know it’s your baby…. I’m sad and happy for you at the same time. love you!
Love you! Thanks!
a
I, too, am sad to see TTT coming to an end here, but I’m so happy for you to be focusing more on IYK and to see TTT live on at Angie’s blog! I’ve always loved linking up here and will miss visiting on Tuesdays! I’ll be sure to continue to pop in on the other days though-I love your blog! 🙂 God bless you in the future–wherever it is He leads you!
Thank you, Erin!
a
Wow, big news! I can sense your relief already. 🙂 I did a carnival for a while, that didn’t get nearly the popularity of this one, and I remember how nice it was to pass it off to someone else.
I can’t WAIT to see you this weekend!!! xo
*sob* I won’t be there. 🙁
a
{red face} So *that* is the definition of a meme. 😉
😉
ROFL! I have no idea how I missed this last week, but I’m cracking up. I’ve always thought YOU were the blogging genius because we joked about it and you had it up and running within days!
Excited to see what the future holds for IYK!!
No, my friend, YOU are the bloggy genius! 🙂
a
Will miss linking up here as this is the only carnival I link up at but I totally understand. I really enjoy Impress Your Kids and look forward to continuing to read those posts 🙂
Wow. I am so happy for you and your new decisions. I’ve always looked forward to TTT and am so glad that someone who loves it as much as you do will carry on the tradition. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for your new projects & wish you all the best! I’ll certainly be checking in on you often 😉
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