Saying Goodbye To DDD

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Hi friends and longtime readers of Design, Dining and Diapers! You are probably a little confused by the title of this post, huh? Well, let me explain….

(I encourage you to read through the entire post, it’s long but will give you a lot of insight into my journey blogging and the future!).

On this day 6 years ago, I officially launched Design, Dining and Diapers. Yes, DDD celebrates 6 years today! 

During this time six years ago, I was a very new stay-at-home mom, my oldest was just 4 months old and I’ll be honest, the transition from corporate life to being a mom was challenging at times. SO, long story short I decided to start a blog! I thought this would be a great activity to do during nap times, get me back to my creative roots and help me connect to like-minded people. And it worked! Within a few months I was completely hooked on blogging and I have been ever since. But WOW I can’t believe how much has changed in the past 6 years. (Instagram wasn’t even thing back then!)

When I decided to start this blog, it was sort of on a whim. During the set up process, I read a few blogging guides and everyone said to pick a blog name that told the story of what you would be writing about.  So I thought about the types of things I might write about and my list was eventually narrowed down to home decor/renovating our first home, gluten-free recipes, crafts, sewing and my life as a stay-at-home mom.

Now to pick a blog name. This was tough. Picking a name is so hard! During this time, my husband and I were really into watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (do you see where I’m going with this?). I thought it was a fun name, the iteration was catchy and eventually I created my own version with Design, Dining and Diapers aka DDD. I thought it was fun and captured everything I would talk about on the blog. It fit.

And so, my blog name and logo was born.

This was my very first blog design in 2011! And since then, I’ve had quite a few other variations of it.

In the past six years, this blog has gone through so so much! It has been a representation of my life, my home and it has helped me grow (both personally and professionally) and as cliche as it sounds, it as really shaped who I am today and what I want for the future. It’s amazing how something like a little blog can really impact your life.

In the past six years, this blog was born as a hobby blog, and turned into a full-time job for me. And I am forever grateful for that. Through this blog, I have had some of the most amazing opportunities come around that have helped shape the direction of DDD and my career. DDD is what got me published in magazine and secured partnership with some of the most amazing brands. This is truly a dream job!

In the past six years, I have had two more kids (making a total of 3), we renovated our first home and then stumbled upon our dream home and bought it completely on a whim. And this is when a lot of things changed for me and the direction of DDD.

I have always loved design and home decor, obviously. There were a few projects in our old home, like our master bedroom and  kitchen remodel in our first home  that really sparked something for me. These were my first big design projects and helped define my decorating style. They also made me realize how much I wanted to focus on just home decor and DIY and grow.

Then, we moved into our new home and I was met with a blank canvas to work with. I was (and still am) in heaven. Over the past three years, I have really began to define my style (through a lot of trial and error, I’m still learning) and my blog has really taken a turn. What was once a blog about small crafts, kid projects and other random things, has now turned primarily into a Design and Home Decor Blog lifestyle blog. And over the past year I have begun to realize that the name Design, Dining and Diapers just doesn’t fit anymore.

DDD just doesn’t tell the story of what my blog and brand is about anymore. And it doesn’t fit with where I want to take the brand in the future. (Not to mention I hope to not have any kids in diapers soon!) 

So it is bittersweet, that after six years, I am officially retiring Design, Dining and Diapers. And today marks the new launch of TARYNWHITEAKER.COM ! 

I am incredibly at peace and happy with this new chapter of my business. It has been a long time coming and I’m excited about all the new ventures a head. This new chapter is just the beginning of other new and exciting things in the near future, but for now the only changes you will notice on the blog is all the new branding! My normal posts and content will remain the same.

I can’t wait to share more, but I think this is a long enough blog post and change for one day! Thank you all for being part of this amazing journey and for continuing to read this blog that has been such a huge part of my life.

About Taryn Whiteaker

Taryn Whiteaker is the voice of style behind TarynWhiteaker.com (formerly Design, Dining and Diapers) ! Taryn is a previous PR/Marketing professional who got back to her creative roots after becoming a mom and now shares her passion for home decor and design for the world to see. Taryn lives in the greater Seattle area with her husband and three kids and loves coffee, the outdoors, and exploring with her family.