Another year, gone by in a flash! Well, 2016 has been a bit of a strange year in terms of the world we live in. I'm not a big one for politics, but it does feel like the future is quite uncertain, and we don't really know what to expect in the coming years. But as always, I like to take time at the end of each year to reflect, and appreciate the smaller things in life, the things that are personal to me, that have made me happy, proud, or even sad or frustrated, but they are the events that have made up my past 12 months.
This year (and also part of last year!) has mainly been consumed by the process of moving house. Our original plan was to move by Christmas 2015, but we just made it into our new home for this Christmas! It was nice though at the start of the year to have our old flat featured in Psychologies magazine, it was a lovely shoot by Penny Wincer and a nice way to record our previous home.
In fact at the start of 2016, I wrote a post with my plans for the year ahead, with the idea of looking back on the at the end of the year to see how things had went. So, tick, we managed to move house!
I'd also just started a new part time job with interiors brand One World Trading Co. back in January. I'm still doing this role, looking after the content for their blog, social media and newsletter, and it's been nice to see how the brand has developed over the last year. As well as lots of new lifestyle photography on their site, we've been working a lot with bloggers which has been fun, plus they recently opened a concession in Harvey Nichols! Do have a peep at their site if you have a mo - www.one.world
The other major plan I had at the start of the year was to relaunch 91 Magazine. After a year away from it, I decided it was time to really go for it, and along with my fab new team, we certainly did that! It's been a great year for the magazine, with two print editions publishing, one in S/S and one in A/W. We now have it stocked in around 70 UK shops, and a few outside the UK, and we've worked with some amazing brands. The above image is from our Summer launch event at Anthropologie! Anyway, you can read more about our first year in print on the 91 blog.
With the whole moving house thing this year we found two things - firstly we couldn't plan any holidays as we never knew from month to month if we might finally exchange, and secondly, we kinda lost interest in our flat. It seemed pointless to spend any more time or money on it when we'd be leaving it soon. Looking back, this seemed to free up a bit more time for family days out, plus Ruby was finally at an age were trips into London and elsewhere were becoming slightly less stressful and more fun. We pottered around Petersham Nurseries, we enjoyed art at the Tate Modern, and we relaxed in the cafes of Brighton.
In May we even ventured down to Kent on a lovely Spring day to the Decorative Living Fair. It's always a nice day out although I found it a tad frustrating as I couldn't buy anything yet as we were STILL waiting to move! The above pic is a slightly awkward family shot of us out in Richmond Park. I like it though as we don't often seem to get many of us all together!
Ruby turned two in July, and it wasn't long after that we took our first trip away without her, finally feeling 'OK' with the idea of being apart from her for more than one night. We went to a wedding in Scotland, and really let our hair down for a few nights while also enjoying the magnificent scenery of the west coast of the country. I loved the minimal bedroom that we stayed in at the venue.
After that little trip, completing on the sale of our flat finally felt like it was in touching distance. At the end of September it happened! A whole year and a bit after we put it up for sale! After seven years of living there, we did feel a little sad, but we were literally bursting at the seams there, and we were totally ready for a new start.
We are so glad we perservered, as after our first three months in our new home, we are pleased to say we love it! The house needs loads of work but we've already made a good start. The space is great, the light is lovely and it just 'feels' nice. It's true what they say about just knowing when you've found the right house - I still remember I didn't sleep a wink the night after we first viewed it, because I couldn't stop thinking about it and what we could do to it!
We've been mainly focusing on trying to get rid of all of the dark or neon colours that were everywhere! So no rooms are 'finished' yet, but we are getting there! We've got a new floor for the living room coming in the new year which I'm really excited about so I will continue to keep you posted on our progress on here. You can see more of this mini bedroom makeover here.
I've been enjoying spending lots of time in the new house, and keeping cosy during the colder months, and I've taken up a new craft! I've been busy knitting this We Are Knitters blanket, and I honestly did not expect to enjoy knitting so much! I've actually finished the blanket now, so I will share the results on here soon too. If anyone has tips for resources for some modern knitting projects do let me know.
Following the craziness of the house move and a very busy year work wise, I felt the need for a quick little break by the coast, so we took ourselves off to Norfolk and stayed at Ford House. If you ever get the chance, book yourself a few days here, it is gorgeous and such a lovely part of the country to explore. More pics are here.
The year was rounded off by our first Christmas in our new home, and it was lovely. It's the first year Ruby has had an understanding of what's going on, and I loved seeing her so excited. I'm looking forward to many more Christmasses here!
So that was my 2016! It was frustrating year at times, but it has definitely turned out well in the end. I have a few question marks about where I want to go with a few things in the next year, but for now I think I'm just going to sit back and take stock, and I'm sure things will all become clear in the new year!
Thanks again for stopping by despite my slight lack of posts this year! I've been writing this blog now for 8 years, so it very much feels like a part of me, and I'm looking forward to making it a more frequented place in 2017! Happy New Year all, see you on the other side! xxx