2015 was definitely one for the books! So many changes, challenges and exciting milestones. One of the biggest changes for me personally was the number of posts I wrote per week. Towards the beginning of the year, I was writing a lot less, focusing on other projects within our brand. And toward the end of the year, I began focusing a LOT more of my time on writing again…and really loving it! That, paired with moving to a new home, put a lot of my favorite posts in the last half of the year.
I’m REALLY excited to start 2016. But before we dive into that, here are some posts I’m really proud of from 2015!
Saying goodbye to our home of three years wasn’t easy. We REALLY loved this home and made a lot of special memories there.
Real quick, I’ll recap the tours of this house in case any of you are new readers and missed them! I truly considered this home my space to learn. I learned SO much about my own style, how to decorate and where to DIY vs hire out professionals. The end result was a home that meant so much to us, it was very hard to leave.
Room Tours: Kitchen, Living Room, Dining Room, Laundry Room. You can see the rest in our book, A Beautiful Mess Happy Handmade Home
. And here’s a video tour of my whole house not long before we listed it for sale.
I taught you how to choose a color story for your home! (Has anyone put this to use??? PLEASE say yes?)
I also shared my office tour (just in time to start packing…)
Loved making this record frame photo wall.
Of all the complicated projects we shared this year, one of the most popular posts was this random post about my favorite hair product. I was kind of shocked, and it inspired me to start thinking outside the box for our content choices in 2016.
Our first Sister Style in Nashville (many more to come every time Em comes to visit!). I’ve already collected a HUGE list of cute walls and fun spots to take photos. Having so much fun with that process!
This year we started sharing city guides! I wrote three and had so much fun working on each of them:
Charleston, South Carolina
Palm Springs, California
Nashville, Tennessee (part one…)
We traveled quite a bit this year. The Madonna Inn was a crazy experience.
Iceland was unforgettable.
I wrote a post about cyberbullying that meant a lot to me. My only regret was that a lot of people thought it was responsive to my own experiences in being bullied. And while it was in some small ways, the problems I see in our community are SO much bigger and SO much more important. It meant a lot to me that many of you took our challenge to commit to creating a more positive voice. It makes a big difference!
Looking back on posts that were both most popular (with you) and our personal favorites to write, we realized that a LOT of sponsored posts made both lists. For me, that validates that they really are worthwhile content and a lot of times some of our best work. We are very proud of that and want to keep it going in the new year.
Anyway! Moscow Mules three ways, anyone?
Another thing I love about our advertising program are those random times when I get to work with companies that I am the BIGGEST fangirl of. Like this post for David’s Tea.
I made a mermaid plush! I think I’m definitely going to turn this into a series!!!
My favorite DIY of mine this year was this hand painted dish set.
My favorite homemade cocktail of the year was this Orange Cranberry Margarita. Can I have one right now?
Toward the end of the year, my favorite posts were the ones sharing our renovation process. I created a new tag for it, so you can see them all here. It’s only just the beginning, but it’s probably my favorite series I’ve ever shared here because it’s so personal to me. I can’t wait to keep it going in 2016!
My favorite post of Emma’s this year was this AMAZING blueberry pizza. It was so delicious. I miss taste tasting her recipes throughout the week!
My favorite post that Laura wrote was this crazy closet door DIY. It’s SO beautiful, even better in person, and adds so much personality to her space!
And my favorite post written by Mandi was How to Draw a Floor Plan. I’m using it right now to plan out my living room!
(photo by Darling Juliet)
Thanks for letting me share! I had such a great year and feel like I’m in a really GREAT place in my work life. I’m so thankful for ABM and love working on it every day. xx- Elsie
Oh, and can I add one honorable mention? Our best April Fool’s joke ever. Had SO much fun filming it!
2015 was definitely one for the books! So many changes, challenges and exciting milestones. One of the biggest changes for me personally was the number of posts I wrote per week. Towards the beginning of the year, I was writing a lot less, focusing on other projects within our brand. And toward the end of the year, I began focusing a LOT more of my time on writing again…and really loving it! That, paired with moving to a new home, put a lot of my favorite posts in the last half of the year.
I’m REALLY excited to start 2016. But before we dive into that, here are some posts I’m really proud of from 2015!
Saying goodbye to our home of three years wasn’t easy. We REALLY loved this home and made a lot of special memories there.
Real quick, I’ll recap the tours of this house in case any of you are new readers and missed them! I truly considered this home my space to learn. I learned SO much about my own style, how to decorate and where to DIY vs hire out professionals. The end result was a home that meant so much to us, it was very hard to leave.
Room Tours: Kitchen, Living Room, Dining Room, Laundry Room. You can see the rest in our book, A Beautiful Mess Happy Handmade Home. And here’s a video tour of my whole house not long before we listed it for sale.
I taught you how to choose a color story for your home! (Has anyone put this to use??? PLEASE say yes?)
I also shared my office tour (just in time to start packing…)
Loved making this record frame photo wall.
Of all the complicated projects we shared this year, one of the most popular posts was this random post about my favorite hair product. I was kind of shocked, and it inspired me to start thinking outside the box for our content choices in 2016.
Our first Sister Style in Nashville (many more to come every time Em comes to visit!). I’ve already collected a HUGE list of cute walls and fun spots to take photos. Having so much fun with that process!
This year we started sharing city guides! I wrote three and had so much fun working on each of them:
Charleston, South Carolina
Palm Springs, California
Nashville, Tennessee (part one…)
We traveled quite a bit this year. The Madonna Inn was a crazy experience.
Iceland was unforgettable.
I wrote a post about cyberbullying that meant a lot to me. My only regret was that a lot of people thought it was responsive to my own experiences in being bullied. And while it was in some small ways, the problems I see in our community are SO much bigger and SO much more important. It meant a lot to me that many of you took our challenge to commit to creating a more positive voice. It makes a big difference!
Looking back on posts that were both most popular (with you) and our personal favorites to write, we realized that a LOT of sponsored posts made both lists. For me, that validates that they really are worthwhile content and a lot of times some of our best work. We are very proud of that and want to keep it going in the new year.
Anyway! Moscow Mules three ways, anyone?
Another thing I love about our advertising program are those random times when I get to work with companies that I am the BIGGEST fangirl of. Like this post for David’s Tea.
I made a mermaid plush! I think I’m definitely going to turn this into a series!!!
My favorite DIY of mine this year was this hand painted dish set.
My favorite homemade cocktail of the year was this Orange Cranberry Margarita. Can I have one right now?
Toward the end of the year, my favorite posts were the ones sharing our renovation process. I created a new tag for it, so you can see them all here. It’s only just the beginning, but it’s probably my favorite series I’ve ever shared here because it’s so personal to me. I can’t wait to keep it going in 2016!
My favorite post of Emma’s this year was this AMAZING blueberry pizza. It was so delicious. I miss taste tasting her recipes throughout the week!
My favorite post that Laura wrote was this crazy closet door DIY. It’s SO beautiful, even better in person, and adds so much personality to her space!
And my favorite post written by Mandi was How to Draw a Floor Plan. I’m using it right now to plan out my living room!
(photo by Darling Juliet)
Thanks for letting me share! I had such a great year and feel like I’m in a really GREAT place in my work life. I’m so thankful for ABM and love working on it every day. xx- Elsie
Oh, and can I add one honorable mention? Our best April Fool’s joke ever. Had SO much fun filming it!
