Good afternoon readers!

I hope you are all getting back into the swing of school or work without mourning the holiday break too much.

So I have some exciting news that has added a little excitement to my new year! My blog has officially been up and running for a year now! Because of how proud I am of this accomplishment, I thought I would look back on some of the highlights of the past year, as a thank you to everyone who has supported the blog!

1. My First Collaboration

My first collaboration was with Albion Fit with this gorgeous swimsuit. Everyone at Albion was so kind and it was amazing of them to offer me this opportunity. I cannot thank them enough! Since then, I have been lucky enough to collaborate with so many other brands such as, Brightside Eyewear, Schriver's Boutique, Zaful, Armitron, Poupee de Papier, Eva NYC Hair Care, Polette Eyewear, Mockberg Watches, and many others. I feel so lucky to be a part of so many of these amazing brands, and I cannot wait to see who I collaborate with this next year!

My lovely friend, photographer and the one who encouraged my blog from the beginning, Caylie, from soulpaletteblog.wordpress.com.

2. MEETING NEW BLOGGER FRIENDS

Blogging has opened so many new doors for me, one of which has been meeting new people and bonding over our shared love. I never expected there to be such a helpful and encouraging blogging community out there as there is. When you dive into anything new, you always want to find people who have experience in that field. All of the bloggers I have met through the internet and in person have been amazingly kind and have helped me start utilizing my blog to its potential. I cannot thank the blogging community enough for helping begin this journey on track.

3. GETTING AMAZING SUPPORT FROM YOU GUYS

The blog would not be where it is today if it wasn't for all of you who read along. Simply knowing that you join me each week, or every now and then, to have a read, makes me feel so supported. Every time I read a comment, I get so excited to reply.

4. EXPERIMENTING WITH MY STYLE

My blog has also encouraged me to be more confident in my style and to take it to more of an extreme. Without my blog, I feel as though I'd still be playing it quite safe with my style. I'm so glad it has helped to push me into a more fashionable and brave direction. I hope that trend continues this up coming year.

This year also saw a hair color change for me! There was a lot of researching and a lot of worrying, but honestly, changing my hair has made me feel so much more myself!  White is way more edgy and fun! — This year also saw a hair color change for me! There was a lot of researching and a lot of worrying, but honestly, changing my hair has made me feel so much more myself! White is way more edgy and fun!

5. GAINING NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Speaking of opening doors, the blog has helped me gain so many new opportunities. Because of my blog, I am now Art Editor of the UCA Vortex Art & Literature Magazine, I got nominated for Fashion Blogger of the Year by Star Central Magazine, I am head of Visuals at Style Encore, where I work, and there are some other exciting opportunities I will talk more about in the future...shh! Blogging has helped me gain the audience and the confidence to find opportunities in my community that are perfect for me! I'm looking forward to what opportunities come knocking within the next year.

So I owe a huge thank you to everyone who has supported my blog in the past year, whether that's simply reading every week, collaborating with me, or leaving a little comment every now and then. It means the world to me that this blog has been as fun and successful as it has been already. I hope you have enjoyed the past year enough to stick around for another one! I am so excited to see where another year will take us and what surprises are in store. So, strap in for another year filled with style, because I have lots of plans for the blog this year!