I read a lot of blogs from a lot of creative people. These bloggers really inspire me, and I want to share them with you.  Beginning this week, I plan to feature a blogger every Monday, in a series called Meet a Blogger. I hope that you’ll find some great ideas and information from these generous folks. To kick off the series, meet me.

Name: Michael Derr

Where are you: Tallmadge, Ohio….just outside the bustling metropolis of Akron.

Blog: made by mike blog

How long have you been blogging: Probably about 6 years or so.  I finally found my true blogging voice about 5 months ago with the creation of the made by mike blog.

Why do you blog: I guess because I’m self-absorbed. Seriously, I need a creative outlet in my life. I enjoy cooking and sharing food with my friends. I love photography and sharing that too. The blog gives me a place to share all of that and a little slice of my life too. When I first started blogging it was just a few friends and family following along. The past couple of month have brought a larger more diverse audience my way. It’s been amazing meeting some pretty wonderful people and sharing recipes, ideas and inspirations.

What’s been you favorite post: Probably the post where I introduced my Everyday Food Challenge. It got picked up on Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food Blog and really kick-started my commitment to blog writing. At that point, I had basically committed to cooking a recipe a week from each issue of Everyday Food Magazine. At this point there are 77 issues in publication, with a new one coming each month. I’m up to Issue #15, so I have a long way to go, but it’s been a blast.

Could you share a few of your favorite blogs that you read: Smitten Kitchen, Today’s Nest, Abby Try Again, and Orangette inspire me with every new post. And their older posts are great too.

What’s “the one” big project you are most looking forward to: Planning my wedding to Greg. We’ll be celebrating our tenth anniversary together in December. I know that each day we’re getting closer to the day that we can legally wed. I won a Martha Stewart Wedding Cakes book a few weeks back, and it got me thinking. It’s no longer a question of if we’ll be able to get married, it’s now a question of when. It’s going to be one hell of a party.

When you’re not blogging, what are you doing: Working as the Marketing/Events Supervisor for our local library system.

Guiltiest pleasure: The Real Housewives Series on Bravo.

Favorite Drink: An ice-cold Diet Coke.

*and yes that’s an angry toaster on my t-shirt. I like toast.