Tuesday 31 December 2013

Reflecting on an Amazing Year !

Well Hello there ! I’m back !
                
Yes, I know, I’ve been neglecting you my lovely readers over the past few months. And now the end of this amazing year is upon us once more, I thought it important to at least pop by briefly to finish the year off properly. And what a year it’s been for me.

The past 3-4 months have been spent organising the launch of my online shop (which now runs alongside this blog). And what a busy 3-4 months they have been. Building the site, choosing the products I wanted to stock, going live in November (a little later than I’d initially hoped for) and then all the fabulous build up to Christmas and now New Year’s Eve. And to top it all, today is my youngest daughter’s 3rd Birthday so it really has been a busy time for us as a family.


It’s hard to believe that just over a year ago I took the plunge to enter the world of blogging and a year on I've launched a small business to run alongside it. The passion I felt when I first started sharing with you back in October last year hasn't waned one bit. If anything I’m hungrier than ever to learn more, experience more and share all this with you my readers. This is an ever evolving, learning journey for me too. And I’ve learnt so much in just a year.

There have been lots of lovely “Highs” to my year. Winning several lovely competitions, two of which stand out: Original Sprout’s competition to win £100 worth of their great hair care products and then winning a stunning hamper of goodies from Bodhi. Oh and how I jumped for joy that day ! And to top it off I had the pleasure of a lovely conversation with Bodhi’s founder, Elijah Choo. If you haven’t experienced Bodhi’s skin and bodycare products you are truly missing out. I will be blogging about them in the New Year. Winning this competition allowed me to indulge in this fabulous product range and then decide that they just had to be included in our product range for Sophia’s Choice online shop.


Another “high” for me was going to my very first trade exhibition in April. I attended the Natural & Organic Products Europe Exhibition and loved connecting with many brands and their founders. It was this exhibition which helped me formulate a plan of who I wanted to include in the shop. Again the New Year will bring many posts of those people I met and their great products.

As I mentioned in my previous “1st Blogging Birthday” post, I have connected with some amazing people who have given me such support particularly over the past few months. I truly appreciate that support and thank you all for being there for me. You know who you are.


In November the Natural Beauty Yearbook Awards took place. I remember last November picking up on this quite early on in my blogging career. I knew it mattered within the Natural Beauty industry and have followed those mentioned in last year’s awards with interest. Never in a million years did I think my little blog and I would be put forward for inclusion in this year’s edition in the beauty blog section ! I received an invite to the awards night which sadly I couldn’t make, but just to be mentioned was fabulous.  Let’s hope I make it again in 2014 so I can actually go to the party next time J

And the icing on the cake has to be launching my little online shop in mid November and then being accepted into The Good Web Guide too. I’m very proud of her, and all who sale in her. I am truly excited about what 2014 has to bring. I’ll be adding lots more brands to the site over the coming months and attending local Fairs to sell my wares too, so it will be a fun and exciting time for Sophia’s Choice.

The blog will carry on as it always has. I have lots of posts waiting patiently in the wings to be shared with you (I apologise to all those who are waiting for their post to go live! It will happen, I promise) and many more products to be sourced and shared.

And lastly, I would like to thank, you, my readers, for being here and reading my musings. Without you commenting and sharing this blog it wouldn’t feel half as special as it does. I wish you all a wonderful evening bringing in 2014 with those you love and I hope with all my heart that this New Year brings you and those close to you an abundance of love, health, happiness and joy. You deserve it!

A Bientot ! xx


SHARE:
Blogger Template Created by pipdig