HAPPY NEW YEAR : A HOLIDAY + 2021 RECAP

Hello friends! I have taken a long break from this little space I love with all of our life changes and keeping up with work related projects this year. I have actually had this post sitting in my drafts for weeks now, trying to find the time to share something thoughtful here. I decided to keep the holiday photos as I feel it’s very representative of this past year, scattered and always trying to get caught up, ha, I’m sure some of you can relate. Also, our house isn’t really ready to fully decorate yet but for Christmas, I had to go all out with what I had and I love seeing this little area decorated. Makes me so excited for what is to come!
If you keep up on instagram then you will have already seen most of our life updates for 2021 but to recap some things we’ve been up to…

We closed on our new house at the end of 2020 but it was no where near move in ready. We lived with my parents for about 5 months – having sold/closed on the bungalow in September 2020, all while it was starting to hit the fan with the market. We offered on a couple other houses and looked at many but ultimately decided it was best to take our time. Thankfully my parents had the space for us and were willing to accommodate the three pets and give me a space to work as well. We made many meals together, it was fun to be there through the holidays and Hunter used the pool that no one ever swims in, ha. It was hard to live out of storage units but we made the most of it and I’m grateful for our time together. Once January hit, it was go time! Hunter and his dad worked hard on one side of house (our sitting, dining and main bedroom) so that we could move in and renovate the rest in time. It was quite a process as there was a terrible smell, the carpet and wood underneath all had to be replaced. We re-drywalled, primed and painted EVERYTHING. It took most of the month of January to get move in ready. More on the renovation soon! Since moving in it has been one project after another. I’m so thankful that Hunter is so handy and that we’ve had some guidance from my dad and FIL for some of our projects. It’s slow moving doing everything ourselves on the weekends but we’re getting exactly what we want and it’s been a fun process for us to do together. Plus learning so much along the way.

At the end of June we found out we were expecting our first baby. We learned it was a boy in September and we couldn’t be more excited. This little man has changed up our reno plans a bit! I have loved planning out his room. His room was in the worst shape and we had a bunch of boxes in there all year, but it was the next biggest with a huge closet so we have been working for the past several months on stripping it down and redoing everything to get it refreshed and perfect for our guy. Fast forward to now and I can’t believe how fast this time has gone by. He will be joining us so soon (March 11 due date). We are so looking forward to this next chapter.

I feel very fortunate to have a job that allows flexibility and for me to take some time off this Spring. I was nervous to officially announce this but I know it is the one time in my life I can “guilt free” say no to some projects. I will be taking a small break from wedding work through the Spring. It’s so hard to pass up custom work as I truly love the hustle and bustle of wedding season and all of the amazing clients/weddings that come my way. Due to the custom nature (and the fact that it is only me over here) I feel as though it is not in my or my clients best interest to commit to custom wedding suites right now, since I really cannot predict when this baby will be here! I am typically working very closely with each bride for a few months, then there is the process of printing and shipping. As most know or have experienced first hand since covid started, manufacturing and shipping carriers are still experiencing a lot of delays and short staffs. I plan to pick back up late Spring (so I will be available for fall weddings and/or early 2023 weddings). My shop will remain open until I get a little closer to my due date and then will just be closed briefly as I will have some help with baby and shipping non-custom stationery orders on Etsy. I am looking forward to having some time to paint and work on other projects that I don’t normally have time for. I’ve started to dip my toes in selling originals and I can’t wait to have more available soon.

All of your lovely comments and messages about my work (and life updates) are so appreciated and your orders, big and small, are what allow me to continue this dream I have been working on for the next 11 years. I’m so excited for the next chapter, of my professional and personal life! Thank you for following along on my adventures!

XO