Hi all,

Why am I posting 2017 highlights 6 days into 2018, surely I’ve missed the boat? Well, the thing is, my reason for not posting is now my reason for posting!

Things you probably already know about me; I work in marketing, I’m interiors obsessed, I’ve spent eight years renovating my first home with Mr. Matt, I’m a bunny mummy of two, and I like the simpler things in life.

The things you probably don’t know about me – I suffer from anxiety (the kind that has no logic, the kind that sends you into panic in a supermarket for no reason), I have low self-esteem (so say the experts), I go over and over every little thing I say in my mind and beat myself up about it, and most days I just feel like a fraud in a world that’s too big for me. These were the reasons for me not to write this post.

So here’s the thing, mental health, mindfulness, and being kinder to ones self is, rather wonderfully, something that’s less of a taboo these days. It’s something that we are encouraged to speak out about, which is amazing! And yet, I put off writing this blog post in case people thought I was a poser and was showing off.  At the same time I was thinking that anyone who’s big in the interior world might scoff that my highlights were crap. WHAT THE ACTUAL F**K IS WRONG WITH ME?!

Here’s the truth… IT’S OK TO BE PROUD OF YOURSELF. IT’S OK TO ADMIT IT WHEN SOMETHING GOES RIGHT. POSITIVE THOUGHTS ARE HEALING THOUGHTS AND WE SHOULD HAVE MORE OF THEM.

By the way, I haven’t written this so anyone feels sorry for me, it’s just a bit of truth behind the person who writes this blog. I annoy myself as, despite my anxiety, I make my own life hard because I am always pushing myself. I always want to do, and be, a better version of myself, and always commit to things without thinking them through – and have a blind panic later. It’s not like I just can’t say, ‘no’ I actively go out and create these terrifying situations for myself. Thats just who I am (probably a blog post there?).

Right, our 2017 highlights…

Little Greene Paint Company regram

I love, love, love the Little Greene Paint Company paints and back in April, not long after I really started posting on Instagram,  I was super-mega-well-chuffed when they regrammed a photo of our dining room. It was my first little nod to the fact that people might actually like how our home looked.

As you will know, I’m not a trained interior designer, I’m just somebody with a passion for interiors who’s been let loose on a blank canvas of a first home. Obviously in opening up your journey to the public there will be occasions where you, ‘inspire’ people. Personally I Love this, there is nothing more amazing than when someone gets in touch and asks your opinion, asks where you purchased something from, or tags you in a post of their own home that’s been influenced by you. It’s fab, and a massive compliment.

What gets my goat is when people don’t credit you! I’ve had it so many times where friends, let alone strangers just act ignorant to the ‘coincidence’ at similarities or even exact copies that occur. Do the right thing people, it’s ok to be inspired by people, Just be open and honest about it.

This leads me on to a time when I was tagged in a post by @one.nine.eight.eight on Instagram. Lucy had seen the colours in our dining on Intagram and tagged us in a post to show us how she had used them in her own home. This was the first time this had ever happened and I was really touched, not only had we inspired her but she had been open about it – Perfect. What’s more, the Little Greene Paint Company also regrammed her post. Double perfect.

Two magazine features

So, I won’t go on about this too much as I wrote a post about it back in May (take a read here), but we were approached at the start of the year to see if our kitchen and bathroom had ever been professionally shot.

Our kitchen was in the November edition of Style at Home magazine. This was literally a dream come true for me, it had always been on my ‘things I want to achieve in my life’ list.

Also rather fabulously our bathroom was also in January’s edition (it came out in December so counts as a 2017 highlight!)

All-in-all it was such an amazing experience, but I was a little disappointed in the pricing both times. Our kitchen, all in all, including building works, labour and everything cost nearer £18k and our bathroom about £14k!

#myFaBhome winner

At the same time as we were giving our lounge a makeover, Farrow and Ball had launched an Instagram competition, #myFaBhome, to be successful you just had to use the hashtag in any shots of F&B in your home for a chance to win 10 litres of their paint, a signed copy of ‘How To Decorate’, and to feature in their ’50 Most Inspirational Homes’ ebook. So thats what I did every time I posted a photo of our newly decorated lounge, painted in F&B Peignoir.

Here’s the thing, I started monitoring the hashtag and after a couple of weeks concluded that the standard was so high that we had no chance of winning so stopped tagging and forgot all about it. A few months later F&B emailed saying that we were one of the 50! To say I surprised was a massive understatement. It was amazing. So, so, SO stupidly chuffed. Things like that don’t happen to little old me in N. Wales, they happen to the worthy people! Whats more there were over 7K entries. Massive highlight of our year.

The Ebook went live just a couple of days ago so take a look here, we feature on page 17.

Instagram growth

I’m not sure what we started the year on (I’ve ever really been follower obsessed) but in June we reached 1000 followers and did our first competition with the amazing store Arbol House, I was so grateful that they took a punt on us and donated this amazing ‘hot legs’ print.

I think we ended the year on around 7k people. It’s hard to believe that 7,000 people are interested in following our little journey but I am so grateful for every little last one of you (just not bots, bots frustrate the crap out of me!).

‘Finishing’ our Burrow

Of course ones home will NEVER be finished, I’m always re-styling rooms, moving furniture around, rooms will always need to be redecorated and, I like to think I’m still evolving and growing as an ‘Interior Designer’ BUT the renovation work is finally all done. Thank bleep for that!

We’ve been considering an attic conversion and even considered (even though we’ve just done the kitchen) a small extension but I think within the next couple of years it will be time for a new project.

For now though, and especially for 2018, we’ll just enjoy the home we’ve created and focus on making s**t happen!

Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for being part of our amazing journey in 2017 and to each and every one of you… DON’T LET ANYONE EVER STOP YOU BEING PROUD OF YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS.