A Brand New Year :: 2015

Well…we are just hours away from a brand New Year. At Casa B. it’s going to be low key…just family. Maybe we’ll stay up and watch the ball drop, or turn in early and be ready for a brand new day and a brand new year. After all it’s not the night that is the most important it’s what you do with the rest of the year. It was a great year professionally, lots of opportunities came my way. I traveled, met some incredible people in the industry, but mostly I was able to follow my passion-which is writing about design. It was bittersweet as I cleaned up my office this week, and put away client files, permanently. I made a hard decision to pursue another side of design, but I have no regrets. I ended on a very grandiose note, the last client I worked with was the largest project of my career, well into the six figures. But, it also meant a lot of time away from my family, personal sacrifices, late nights and early mornings. So while I was able to pay for a basement “build-out” at Casa B. and several very nice vacations with the proceeds, I realized that making less money and being happy was high on my list. Will I ever design again? Maybe. “Never… say… never.” But, the chance to watch my daughter grow and be there for all her important milestones is irreplaceable. Family first, always.

So as a full-time design writer & entrepreneur, there are many opportunities on the horizon, a book, an online shop in 2015 (to satisfy my entrepreneurial spirit), and more…it’s going to be a really great 2015. Watching the blog grow 3000% from 2,000 readers to 60,000 per month in one year was incredible, and humbling. Who said Blogging is becoming obsolete? The proof is in the numbers. Leave it to the doers & the dreamers.

Yes, there were interviews with incredible talent, trips with fellow bloggers and top taste-makers, all life changing experiences in the whirlwind of 2014. I could go on, but instead we’ll be rolling out a video recap in a few weeks, pictures truly speak a thousand words.Where do we go from here? I’m excited to take the blog to another level, as a design, entertaining & lifestyle blog (I’ll leave fashion to the experts). Always expanding and growing to bring the “best of the best” to my readers. I’ll be collaborating with other writers and people in the industry, we’ll be rolling out some video interviews, and traveling farther to broaden our reach, and finding fresh new talent.

The days are long and the years get shorter, so make the most of every minute. I am. I was interviewed a few weeks ago and a reporter asked me “What would I do with time if I had more of it?” What a great question. I stumbled through an answer because I simply didn’t have one. But, I think I do now, “climb more mountains” both literally & figuratively. So yesterday I did…climb a mountain. It was worth every step on a steep slope to get the top…so here’s to climbing more mountains in 2015. The view is going to be incredible.