Here we are — four days into a brand new year. Welcome back! That fresh-start energy in January never gets old for me. After a holiday break, I always return with new goals and plans, and 2016 already feels full of possibility. As I do every year, I wanted to share a review of 2015 and outline what’s ahead. This post is one of the few times I write at length about what happened behind the scenes, both in the business and in my personal life. 2015 was incredibly exciting, and also one of the heaviest years I’ve experienced, so buckle up. I’ll start with the top posts of 2015.
Top 12 Posts of 2015
(Selected based on Google Analytics, Pinterest and Instagram — listed in no particular order.)
DIY Pun-kins | DIY Cereal Bowl Costume
DIY Lisa Frank Costume | DIY Pretzel Pillow
Tie Dye S’mores | Homemade Gummy Bears
Ultimate Guide to Donuts | DIY Popcorn Costume
DIY Emoji Easter Eggs | Palm Fronds + Bon Bons Party
DIY Graphic Tees | DIY Emoji Balloons
Click through for my reflections on 2015 and goals for 2016, plus a handful of outtakes.
(Our lemon shoot truly took a village — I love this outtake.)
And Just A Few More Things
I’ve dubbed 2015 “The Year of Growing Pains,” both for the business and for me personally. It was, without question, Studio DIY’s best year to date, but rapid growth brought new challenges. We hired multiple team members, and Jeff left his full-time job to pursue photography full-time, becoming one of Studio DIY’s primary shooters. Building a team has been the single best decision I made for the company.
(I’m sure I’ll regret putting this online, but it makes me laugh!)
At the start of the year I brought on Samantha as a part-time operations assistant and within six months she became our first full-time hire. Moving to full-time staff meant navigating payroll, taxes and all the paperwork that comes with it — terrifying and a steep learning curve — but worth every step. Samantha has been indispensable. We also expanded roles for Annie, hired Theresa as a recipe and baking expert, and added Alex to support styling and manicures. Jeff now shoots the majority of our content during the day, which has been amazing, though working so closely with your spouse has its own set of challenges. We’re learning how to balance work and marriage.
(Samantha primarily handles admin work, but occasionally moonlights as a costume tester.)
2015 brought so many creative highlights: thousands of you used our costume tutorials at Halloween, we designed a costume that appeared on Miley Cyrus, and we created the Studio DIY confetti chair. I traveled for media appearances with brands like Balloon Time, visited HSN, and crossed Pixar Studios off my bucket list. We launched an online Instagram class with Jeff, started the Studio DIY Wall Crawl project, and partnered with a behind-the-scenes team to support brand collaborations. Those efforts helped us triple Studio DIY’s income this year — enabling new ventures planned for 2016.
(The full team, minus Jeff!)
(A progress shot I sent to Miley’s wardrobe stylist.)
(The final side-by-side — surreal to see it appear on tour photos.)
Before turning fully to 2016, I revisited last year’s goals to track progress. We made meaningful steps toward diversifying our content to include more fashion, beauty and travel, though there’s room to push further. We’ve also been refining the brand and working on a site redesign that will address many reader concerns. Most exciting to me is the long-term plan to make Studio DIY more than a blog — a goal that gained momentum throughout 2015 and will continue into this year.
(Behind the scenes of our fiesta shoot with Mary + Balloon Time.)
We didn’t fully hit the mark on workshops and events, though I did host a few. Growing the team was a clear win, and Samantha helped us stay organized and on schedule, though efficiency remains an ongoing goal. I didn’t make the progress I wanted on personal health — beyond small wins like wearing real clothes and lipstick daily — but I began taking skin care more seriously toward the end of the year. Spending more time with family and friends also needs work; travel is expensive and I’m still figuring out how to be away from work for longer than a day or two.
(Samantha and I filling the cutest car with balloons.)
One personal highlight was taking a Bollywood dance class — I had a blast — and I hope to take tap dancing this year. I also asked Jeff to promise a keyboard if and when we’re finally pregnant so I can relearn piano.
Which brings me to perhaps the biggest “growing pain” of the year: expanding our family. Jeff and I made growing a family our top goal for 2015. We wanted me to be pregnant by year’s end, and we did conceive, but it didn’t result in a viable pregnancy. We’ve worked with fertility specialists and tried hormone treatments. In late September we discovered I was pregnant, which was a total shock given our recent treatments. Unfortunately, the pregnancy wasn’t viable and I miscarried on October 2nd. It was a hard time, but one small silver lining is learning that I can get pregnant — something we weren’t sure had been possible. That knowledge gave us hope to continue treatments, and we entered 2016 feeling optimistic and grateful for a fresh start.
(A thoughtful gift from a friend during a difficult moment.)
The recovery took months, but we’ve resumed treatments and are optimistic for 2016. This experience taught me patience — something I’m actively working on — and it reminded me how many others face far greater struggles. We’re grateful for the signs of hope and will gladly accept any baby vibes you want to send our way. I send those same wishes to anyone reading who may be navigating their own fertility journey.
(A typical “hold it up for the shot” moment.)
So What’s 2016 Going to Look Like?
Here are my top 10 goals for 2016, a mix of personal and professional targets:
1. Grow Our Family: Our primary goal is to become parents, either through pregnancy or, if needed, adoption.
2. Push Myself + My Content: With colorful and bold aesthetics more mainstream than ever, I want to sharpen Studio DIY’s voice and produce original, standout content that feels true to us.
3. Take Better Care of Myself: Small, actionable steps: floss daily, see a dermatologist, and invest more time in hair and skin care.
4. Read: I want to read more regularly at home, especially before bed — a habit I’ve mostly reserved for vacations.
5. Be Patient: Practice patience everywhere — driving, marriage, and our fertility journey.
6. Take a Dance Class: After loving Bollywood, I hope to try tap or another dance style this year.
7. Make Studio DIY More Than a Blog: This is the year we expand beyond blogging. We’ll debut at least one new offering soon.
8. Become a Better Decision-Maker: I plan to trust my instincts more and decide with confidence instead of over-relying on others’ opinions.
9. Share More of Your Photos: We’ll launch a new hashtag and highlight more of your Studio DIY-inspired photos on our Instagram to grow this positive community.
10. Stop Hoarding + Clean House: I’m committed to decluttering, donating, and being intentional about what we bring into our home.
That’s the plan: a new site, bold content, and a few new projects coming this year. I’ll also be sending out a reader survey soon to learn what you want to see next. For now, thank you for reading and for supporting Studio DIY through an epic year.
What are your goals for 2016? I’d love to hear them.
p.s. You can read earlier recaps from 2014 and 2013 on the blog.