It’s the last post of 2016!! How better to celebrate the end of the year than to look back at the top 10 posts of 2016. Happy Meets Home has been so much fun for me. I’ve learned and grown and struggled through blogging. A blog is hard work, harder than I anticipated, but so worth it in the end because of YOU.
What separates blogging from journaling is the people on the other end. I’ve never been good at keeping up with a journal, and didn’t know if I could keep up with this blog either. But what keeps me going is the online community of people I’m getting to know. Thanks for being a part of it.
Top 10 Posts of 2016
Here are the top 10 posts of 2016 in order of the most page views:
1. Stitch Fix Review November 2016
Stitch Fix is so fun!! I got my first fix a couple of years ago, and I think this review is actually my 6th fix. If you’re not familiar with them, check out this post to see all the details of how it works. You can also see the other items I received (a total of 5), and which ones I kept. I also just did a Stitch Fix December 2016 review. I don’t get fixes monthly, usually just when I need something that I don’t really like to go out and shop for, like pants, jeans, and dresses.
2. 10 Lessons I Learned from the 10 Item Wardrobe
Last spring, I was really struggling with my closet. I didn’t like a lot of my clothing, most of it didn’t really seem to go together, and I was spending way to much time picking an outfit for the day. I was interested in the idea of a “uniform”, a minimalist wardrobe, or a 10 item wardrobe.
I decided that for 4 weeks I would put together daily outfits using only the clothing I currently had in my closet. I wanted to better figure out my personal style, instead of choosing clothing because it was on sale. So I purged my closet, and using less than 30 pieces of clothing I put together unique outfits for 4 weeks.
It was a really fun challenge, and I wrote a post outlining the 10 lessons I learned about my style from that experiment. I also wrote a post about getting my closet ready for the challenge, and you can find a post with each week’s outfits too. Start with Week One.
3. Gift Ideas for Guys
I must not be the only one who struggles with what to get guys for gifts. I put this post together as a gift guide for Christmas, but the awesome thing about all of these ideas is that they are not seasonal! So be sure to save this post to refer to for Valentines Day, graduation, Father’s Day, birthdays, or even a cool wedding gift just for the groom.
4. Ikea Nymo Hack
This Ikea hack is still my absolute favorite update that I’ve made to our house since we moved in. The light fixture before was outdated and too small for the room and the table. The light was going to be so expensive to replace because we have an 18 foot ceiling in the dining room. I was determined not to spend hundreds of dollars, so I created a workaround. I’m really pleased with the results.
Regardless of the height of your ceiling, if you just can’t swing a new light fixture right now, check out the Ikea Nymo Hack post to see how you can update your light fixture for $40 or less and only 30 minutes.
5. Home Tour Page
A lot of people visited the home tour page this year, and honestly I wish I had more up there to show you all. The truth is that decorating takes a lot of time, money and energy. I LOVE decorating, but it can be hard to make consistent progress.
I shared more about decorating struggles in my Living Room Update, but it was also really encouraging to look at the before photo and see how far I have come in less than a year. I may not be able to do a before and after in a short amount of time, but I can make small changes that add up to a lot over time.
If you feel discouraged about your home, check out the Decorating on a Budget Worksheet that I created to help get a plan of action so you can start making progress too!
6. Define Your Style Through the 10 Item Wardrobe
I already mentioned this post under #2. This post will walk you though how I purged my closet in preparation for the 10 Item Challenge, and how I put together my first few outfits. Read it here!
7. When Decorating is an Uphill Battle
This picture still makes me want to cry a little. That was a rough mothering day. The blog wasn’t that old, I had been working really hard on decorating my bedroom, and I walked into a complete disaster one morning. You have to check out the post to see the rest of the pictures.
I wrote this post to give you hope. If you have small children, if you have a small budget, you CAN have a nice home. Just make sure certain things are out of reach.
8. My 10 Item Summer Wardrobe
I loved doing the 10 Item Wardrobe so much that I continued it into summer. I did need to buy some new items for summer, but I still kept a very small closet. Interestingly enough, the Converse I purchased have definitely been my most worn item that I got over the summer. A shoe I never thought was my style, but I love them. See what else I purchased for my 10 item summer wardrobe.
9. Lessons from Madame Chic
I used to do book reviews pretty regularly (see them here), and Lessons from Madame Chic was one of the first ones I did. I am totally a Francophile (lover of French things), so this book about French culture was right up my alley.
The author also blogs at the Daily Connoisseur, and I based my 10 Item Wardrobe mostly off of her model.
10. Wife Mom Boss
I love this graphic tee. And those pants. And that cardigan! Check out the post to get all the sources. This was also my very first post to use a photographer (thanks Kala!) and it was really fun. I hope to do a lot more photo shoots next year!
It was really fun looking back at all of these posts, and I’m excited for what 2017 has to offer! Happy New Year!
