2017 : Year in Review
I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas! Thanks for letting me take a good, long break… it was much needed. I’m back and feeling refreshed! Before the New Year rolls around, I wanted to recap the top 10 posts of 2017, along with some milestones and achievements. Click through for a look back at Room for Tuesday in 2017. I know you weren’t expecting me back until Monday, but apparently I’m not capable of taking an entire week off. Click through to enjoy an early and unexpected post- come reminisce with me!!
I have to say, 2017 has been my best year yet- especially in regards to my career. SO much happened and I’m incredibly grateful for every opportunity that came my way. It felt like my hard work finally started to pay off this year. I worked almost every weekend, and although one of my goals for 2018 is to take more weekends off, the rewarding accomplishments felt worth the blood, sweat, and tears. Here’s a quick recap:
P R E S S
- April // Real Simple Closet Feature
- May // Domino Kitchen Feature
- May // Instagram Takeover on The Nest
- June // Apartment Therapy Guest Room Feature
- July // Brit + Co Recipe Feature
- August // BoConcept Feature
- September // Domino Backyard Feature
- September // Willow and Sage Magazine Spread
- October // One Kings Lane Feature
- November // Storage Solutions Magazine Spread
- December // Named Best Lifestyle Blog by Domino Magazine
- December // PopSugar Kitchen Feature
- December // Giant Domino Interview
You can also visit my press page for more, if you’re interested in that sort of thing.
R E N O M I L E S T O N E S
- January // We completed the guest room closet.
- February // The custom office closet was completed.
- March // We replaced every single window in our home.
- March // The guest room reno was completed.
- March // We shared Emmett’s finished closet.
- April // My master bedroom closet was completed.
- May // We finished our fifth and final closet : the hallway.
- June // The master bedroom was completed and revealed.
- June // We installed a new privacy fence.
- July // We installed a paver patio in the backyard.
- July // The outdoor sofa was completed.
- July // We landscaped the backyard.
- August // We revealed our finished backyard.
- August // The fireplace was finished.
- September // The living room was completed and revealed.
- September // We transitioned the backyard for fall.
- October // Emmett got surround sound for MY birthday (eye roll).
- November // I finished my very first One Room Challenge space, aka- our bathroom.
- December // I decked out the house for the holidays.
- December // We started our kitchen demo & reno.
P E R S O N A L M I L E S T O N E S
- March // We added another furry family member to the Gibson house.
- April // Emmett got a new ‘real’ job (accounting- boring stuff, ha!).
- July // I helped my best friends get their dream kitchen and dining room.
- July // I tackled my first big exterior living space project.
- September // We celebrated one year living in Utah in our new home.
- September // Emmett and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary.
- October // I launched the Room for Tuesday store. See the intro post here.
- November // I completed my first ever One Room Challenge (and survived).
- December // I won the Domino Blog Award (pinch me!) and traveled to NYC for the awards party (more on that soon).
T R I P S
We honestly didn’t take too many trips this year because we spent the majority of our money renovating- which left very little in the travel budget, but that’s real life. Honest to goodness life. Emmett’s new job also meant a limited amount of vacation time, which was spent on family travel (weddings, holidays, etc) that I didn’t list below. We also had LOTS (24, to be exact) visitors and houseguests this year. Yep… that’s right, 24(!) of our bravest friends and family members visited during the craziest part of our renovation. They must really love us.
- January // We visited an ice castle.
- February // I traveled to Minnesota and toured the Faribault Textile Mill and stayed in the gorgeous Hewing Hotel.
- February // We did a lot of exploration in our new state; Utah is beautiful and we took lots of guests to see gorgeous Antelope Island.
- July // I traveled back to Ohio for work (and to creep on our old house).
- September // I travled to Indianapolis to tour the Delta & Brizo headquarters with other bloggers.
T O P P O S T S O F 2 0 1 7
The following were the most viewed posts of 2017 (according to blog traffic)… we’ll count them down!
I’m looking forward to sharing more of this series, How We Choose, in 2018. In there anything in particular you have trouble purchasing online? Comment below and I’ll add it to the content calendar!
9 : How to Install a Paver Patio
The work in our backyard seemed never-ending over the summer, but it was well worth the long hours and HOT torturous days. Everyone seemed to love all of the DIY projects we shared from it.
8 : One Room Challenge : Bathroom Reveal
I can’t tell you how happy I am to have this space completed. You guys shared so much love for my tiny bathroom and I can’t thank you enough!
7 : How to Install a Privacy Fence
Much like the paver patio, installing a privacy fence is much easier than you’d expect and because of that- this post was pinned a lot. I love empowering others to tackle projects like these. If I can do it, you can too!
Our living room has come a long way this year. Throughout our kitchen reno, it will continue to evolve as we open up walls, but as of now- I’m happy with the current state.
As I mentioned, we had A LOT of house guests this year… some of them were able to enjoy this finished space, while others braved what it looked like before. I’m happy it was as well received online as it was in person.
I’m not going to lie- Emmett’s closet isn’t nearly this organized anymore, but it definitely is better than it would be without the custom closet system. This was one of my favorite videos we made in 2017! I love getting him on camera. PS. Follow along on YouTube! More videos to come this year.
3 : Upholstered Headboards Under $300
Room for Tuesday is sort of becoming known for amazing roundups, and I don’t have a problem with that at all (it’s such a compliment)! I’m totally for making your life and home decor shopping easier. This one was no exception- headboards under $300? Sign me up.
2 : Transitioning the Backyard for Fall
Fall is my favorite time of year and I really enjoyed styling and shooting this post. We lived with the yard like this for at least a month and made the best memories here. I’m already looking forward to next September so we can host cozy parties all over again!
1 : Predicted Paint Colors for 2017
Without a shadow of doubt, this post was the most popular, by nearly double! Of course next week, I’ll have another paint roundup for you… this time it’s the colors I’m looking forward to using in 2018. Stay tuned!
T H A N K Y O U
Obviously I owe you guys a big GIANT thank you for following along and offering the best encouragement this year. I couldn’t do what I love without you and it means the world that you follow along, and leave such uplifting comments. Emmett and I are both so grateful for the part you play in our journey. I mean that. I hope everyone had an amazing year. I loved “meeting” each and every one of you kind souls.
I hope everyone has a happy New Year! I’ll be back here on Monday with my goals, resolutions, and what you can expect in the year to come. I’m so excited to share some projects we have up our sleeve. It’s going to be hard to top 2017, but you better believe we’re going to try!