Happy New Year one and all!
I hope everyone had a good Christmas, enjoying a bit of down time with friends and family, fattening food and a few mulled wines – I know I did! You may have noticed that I also managed to organise a little blog makeover with a new design which I hope you like. The break has been an opportunity to plan ahead with exciting blog content (hopefully!) and a chance to reflect on the past 12 months. So I thought I would do a short round up of my blogging highlights from the past year and mention some plans for the future.
Back in February/March we did a little bathroom mini makeover to ensure the space was liveable with, until we can go ahead with a bathroom renovation. Our shower is threatening to die on us any time now, so I think we have to make ‘Project Bathroom’ a priority in 2015!
In May I got the chance to hang out in London with some lovely ladies who happen to be my BBFs (best blogging friends!) from left to right Jen, Love Chic Living; Katie, Miss Enchanting and Lucy, Lish Concepts. We all attended the the creative blogging conference ‘Blogtacular‘ together and it was a great experience – we had lots of laughs, felt inspired and even got to be roomies for the night in a cool London hostel.
In June the Ideal Home Show came to Manchester for the first time and I was there to experience the launch, I even got a press pass and met the very charming Mr George Clarke.
In August I was thrilled to be a guest curator of a Joss & Main online homeware and furnishing event. Many top home interiors bloggers, designers and stylists have guest-curated these premier flash-sale events, so I was honoured to be invited to present my favourite items from the sale and to be interviewed for their online magazine, Plume.
Also in August we were lucky enough as a family to be invited to stay at the ‘Matalan Home’, a beautiful old stone cottage in the Cotswolds where we could relax and make ourselves totally at home for a two night stay in stunning surroundings, enjoying all the home comforts Matalan had provided with their lovely furnishings and homeware items. What an absolute treat!
In September I did something completely different for me; I tried my hand at some presenting for Real Home Lookbook on the youtube channel, Love Your Home (series 4) which is a series of short videos about achieving different home interior looks. I’ve certainly never done anything like this before, but my friend Jen from Love Chic Living, who had presented Real Home Lookbook herself, encouraged me to give it a go when I was approached to do it. I’m so glad I did; it was nerve-wracking, but I felt 10 feet tall once I’d done it. Always good to challenge yourself and push a little bit further than you think you can go!
In October we had a fantastic new composite front door fitted to our house courtesy of Yale Door after I won a bloggers competition. Our old front door was literally on it’s last hinges, so this win couldn’t have come at a better time. As well as giving the house a smart new look, it has an amazing keyless entry system and there are no drafts in our hallway anymore, so we couldn’t be any happier with it.
So those are the main highlights that have made me truly smile over the past year, but I have also loved hosting all the giveaways and competitions that my readers really seem to enjoy (I often see the same names – you know who you are so thanks for taking part and if you haven’t been lucky yet I hope you will be soon!). I also feel fortunate that as a family we’ve had the pleasure of reviewing some great days out to fun and exciting places and practical items for our home. I’ve also managed to squeeze in the occasional furniture makeover or organising project which is something I always love to do.
Thanks to all friends, both online chums and those I see in person, for supporting Tidy Away Today, leaving lovely comments on the blog or on my facebook page and Instagram feed. I love us all sharing our tips and experiences, whether home-orientated or fashion-led, and sometimes wonder if I over-share and bore you with my witterings and random photos of various bargains I’ve spotted online or when I’m out shopping! If so, sorry about that, but big thanks for still sticking with me 🙂
All the best for 2015 folks,
You have had some great oppotunities in 2014 and I look forward to hearing about your 2015 fun!
Stephanie recently posted…Project 365 – our 2015 in photos – Week 1
Happy New Year, Antonia! Liking the new look 🙂 Hope to connect more with you during 2015. My best, Sue x
Thank you ladies, let’s hope 2015 is a good one for all of us xx