A Special Day GIVEAWAY!

What a day! I really can't believe I'm here...exactly one year later from that day that I nervously pressed publish on my very first post. Honestly I'm not always the best person at follow through - I get so excited that I buy all the books and I splurge on all the supplies and I dive right in.....only to abandon it shortly thereafter (hello knitting needles, I'm talking to you!). But this blog thing just seemed to stick.

As a freelance writer and an ad agency copywriter, I originally started blogging as a way to practice my personal writing more regularly and also learn a little bit more about an area of communication that was becoming more popular in my industry. Well little did I know how much more it would become. Bear with me while I take a trip down memory lane! 

In the last year:

• I began to think more creatively and push myself daily in my inspirations and ability to share them
• I found a community of like-minded crafty, vintage-loving, encouraging fellow bloggers
• I started my own vintage furniture upcycling business Lather Creations
• I worked with my good friend and graphic designer Brooke to develop a customized design for Lather. Write. Repeat. and a branding package for Lather Creations
• I began my Lather Creations Facebook page and Twitter profile
• I upcycled and sold 41 pieces of furniture in less than 9 months of business (all while working full time!)
• I furthered my knowledge with a Blogging E-course from A Beautiful Mess and a Business E-Consulting session with Design*Sponge's Grace Bonney
• I began focusing on using my own photography as much as possible for the blog, learning to style and shoot my furniture, practice photography and think more visually (thanks to my amazing friend and wedding photography Leah, I've had the pleasure of working with her Canon DSLR to further advance my skills - big plans to buy my own shortly!)
• I introduced all kinds of fun features and columns to the blog like Etsy Love, From the Kitchen, Thursday Blog Share, PIY Pointers, Before and After and most recently Agency Style Peek
• I was asked to teach two workshops at the local college Red River on the topics of social media for beginners and learning to blog (they start in May and I'm just finishing up the content and presentations!)
• I spent two months compiling a comprehensive Winnipeg City Guide that was published in Design*Sponge and received amazing local reaction and feedback
• Because of my Design*Sponge recognition, I was contacted to be a part of something very exciting (I'll reveal more as I can!)
• I built my social media experience to the point where it is now a very regular part of my job at Fusion, doing these services regularly for our clients and our agency
• I acquired the Adobe Creative Suite including Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign for my new Mac laptop and I'm slowly learning how to build my own graphics, edit my photos and do all kinds of fun new things (thanks to my sweet co-worker Lorraine for the lunchtime tutorials and endless question-answering!)

• Oh yeah - and I got engaged to my sweetie! So now all that creative energy is also going into planning my relaxed, rustic, crafty, DIY wedding!

So now, one year later, Lather. Write. Repeat. has truly become my own personal creative space. It's the place where I share my inspirations and some painting tips, talk to you guys about what's going on in my life and my business, show off my shopping purchases (okay I have a problem there!) and just express myself. I love blogging and all the opportunities and joy it has brought me....I can't wait to share my passions with my students in the Learn to Blog workshop!

A huge blog hug and a thousand thank you's for coming with me on this journey. I couldn't have done it without your ongoing support and encouragement, just knowing you're out there makes me feel amazing.

In honour of my special day, I am having a special GIVEAWAY! Simply leave a comment to enter the giveaway and I will randomly draw a name on Friday, April 1st.  **Extra brownie points if  you like the Lather Facebook page and follow me on Twitter! The winner will receive a very special Lather Creations handmade gift from yours truly - a hand painted necklace hanger using reclaimed hardwood floor remnants. 

Good luck friends and thank you thank you from the bottom of my heart!