a beautiful mess

Happy New Year everyone! This year is off to a crazy start with the blizzard we just had here in the Northeast. I’m snowed in and have had a lot of time to reflect so I thought I’d do a post on my 2017 highlights. 2017 was a difficult year overall for our country and the world in general but I was determined to make it one of my best. I have grown so much over the last year both personally and professionally.  I traveled to so many places I only ever dreamed of seeing, collaborated with so many talented people, and moved into my dream home. 2017 was pretty much the best year of my life and honestly, I was sad to see it go. Here are some of my 2017 highlights!

Bowie and I started the year off as models for Gypsy Warrior. I always joke around that I should start him his own Instagram account. What do you guys think?

Ever since I studied design and architecture in college I have always been obsessed with Palm Springs, CA. 2017 was the year I made my dream come true and finally visited this magical city in the desert. I definitely found my spirit animal city and the place where I belong. Can’t wait to go back this year and I’d love to do a travel guide on the blog. The first photo is from our trip to Moorten’s Botanical Garden. If you’re ever in Palm Springs going there is a must. Admission is just $5 and looking at all the amazing desert plants and cacti is breathtaking.

I started contributing to A Beautiful Mess in 2017 which was a huge deal for me. I have long looked up to Elsie and Emma and am a long time reader of the blog. I’m so honored to be a contributor and am happy that I can bring my recipes to their readers. If you want to see all the recipes I did for A Beautiful Mess you can check them out here.

I collaborated with Michelle Gage for the Spring One Room Challenge and it was a complete success! My living room was (of course) Palm Springs-themed and I’m so happy with the results. It got a lot of features including ones on Domino, The Every Girl, Houzz, and Apartment Therapy. It was even named by Domino as one of their Most-Loved Living Rooms of 2017 and Wallpapered Rooms That Made Us Embrace Pattern in 2017. Does this mean my living room is so 2017? I still love it!

I traveled to Spain with Cardenal Mendoza which was a whirlwind. We did four cities (Madrid, Sevilla, Cadiz, and the winery/distillery in Jerez) in four days and I fell completely in love with Spain. There was so much brandy and sherry consumed on that trip and I was heaven. I have to edit the hundreds of photos I took while I was there and get them up on the blog. Keeping up with regular content is overwhelming enough that the thought of editing travel photos was daunting to me. Definitely going to try to be better this year with sharing travel on the blog.

I started contributing to Palm Springs Style as well which was so exciting. I’m such a fan of everything Katy does especially her Door Tour for Modernism Week. Can’t wait to go back this year and have people to connect with.

A huge dream come true and the biggest of my 2017 highlights was getting to finally travel to France. This has been a dream of mine ever since I was an Audrey Hepburn movie obsessed little girl so it was a really big deal for me. I got to travel with one of my favorite spirit brands Pierre Ferrand and Plantation Rum. We spent time in Paris checking out all the cocktail bars and also took a trip to Cognac to visit Chateau Bonbonnet and the distillery where Pierre Ferrand Cognac is made and where all the Plantation Rums are aged in barrels. Citadelle Gin is also made there among other spirits in their portfolio.

I stayed behind for a few days by myself and got to explore Paris alone. Something I wish I did in Spain. If you get the chance to travel, stay as long as you possibly can because you never know when you’ll be there again! I need to edit more photos from France and get them up on the blog as well.

As you know I was nominated for Best Drinks Blog by SAVEUR Magazine and traveled to Charleston, SC for the ceremony. Even though I didn’t win, it was a great trip and inspiring experience. I met so many bloggers IRL that I’ve been following for years and got to connect with new ones as well. It was great to be surrounded by so many like-minded individuals that are all trying to accomplish similar goals. Hopefully, in 2018 I can take the trip again!

After all that traveling in September and October, I came home and jumped right into the Fall One Room Challenge. I decided to do this challenge alone to motivate me to get another room done in the house. So happy with how the hallway and stairs came out. Still makes me happy every time I walk up and down them!

Ethan and I had to go to Texas for a family wedding. We were in Grapevine mostly but got to spend a night in Dallas. I visited my friends Christy and Chad’s cocktail bar Midnight Rambler. Can’t wait to go back to Texas and explore a little more. That trip was too quick!

The only bad part of my year was when I lost my best friend and kitty Phil the day before Halloween. He was so young and got sick suddenly so I was completely unprepared and totally devastated when he passed away. I still think about him every day and I know he would have loved the pink Christmas tree as much as Erik did. Erik sleeps under it almost every night. I don’t want to take it down!

My last trip of the year was going on a quick trip to Disney World in Orlando, FL to spend time with my mom, sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew. It was fun but I was excited to come home and spend some time here before the holidays. It was the first year I decorated for Christmas as an adult and I think I just wanted to enjoy it.

Thanks to each and every one of you for your continued support. Hope you enjoyed my 2017 highlights and I’m so glad I have all of you to share them with. I’m looking forward to accomplishing more and seeing what 2018 brings. Let’s kick some butt this year! Happy New Year one last time! xo