2011 has been an incredible year. God has truly blessed me in all areas of my life and I am forever grateful for everything. I realize that I could have done more for myself, others, and the blog, but everything happens for a reason and I just pray that I will have the opportunity in 2012 to do even more great things bringing honor to his name.
I have so many wonderful moments in 2011 and this can be an extremely long blog post, but I will narrow it down just to my top 5 greatest moments in 2011.
1. Best Fashion/Beauty Blog Nomination/Finalist for the Black Weblog Awards
So this was TOTAL shock to me. I was in Target and checked my email and I started jumping up and down like a crazy woman. People were looking at me like what’s wrong with this chick? I was so surprised because there are so many great fashion/beauty blogs in the blogsphere and I didn’t realize that I had so many people who supported me. I was up against blogging gurus like Claire from the Fashion Bomb and Patrice from Afrobella. It was such an honor to see Her Goody Bag in the same category as them. It is a great feeling when you are recognized and this would not have happened if it wasn’t for all of you so thank you, thank you, thank you!
2. Attending my first New York/Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
(Joy Cioci SS 12)
When I started this blog almost three years ago I never thought that I would attend any shows at the infamous tents. I would see bloggers post about shows and their photos from shows and I always wondered how they were able to attend. It was always a dream that seemed so far way. I never thought that Her Goody Bag would get invites to shows but it goes to show you that hard work pays off. I did my research, connected with the right people, and I was off to my first Fashion Week! I attended so many shows and hung out with some of my favorite bloggers (Kitty Bradshaw, O So Chic, Tineey, Fashion Steele). I also got my first Street Style feature on Essence.com.
3. Meeting Jeannie- Mai at the Open Sky Event
Now if you know me, you know I live for What Not to Wear and How Do I Look. I love all style and makeover shows because I love seeing a person’s transformation from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan. When I first started watching How Do I Look I was just mesmerized by Jeannie’s style and personality. I wanted to do for people what she did and meeting her was just awesome. I went totally groupie and my friend Kim laughed at me lol. I didn’t care! Jeannie has such a great personality and is so down to earth, the perfect match with great style.
4. Joining NYC Fashion Bloggers Meet-Up Group
Earlier this year I joined the NYC Fashion Bloggers Meet-Up Group. Thanks to those ladies I was able to attend many great events and build new friendships with many of them. I stepped out of my comfort zone and started taking more risks because these ladies are fly. I also completed my first ever DIY project and started shopping at more vintage/thrift stores.
5. Attending IMATS and the Makeup Show
I absolutely love makeup, not as much as a MUA though. I was able to attend two top trade-shows for the beauty industry. I learned great techniques, met great people, and also received some amazing products. I had so many swag bags it was ridiculous. I have to send a special shout out to my friend Kim the MUA because she has helped me tremendously in this area.
I am very pleased with the progress Her Goody Bag has made in 2011 and you can only expect greater things in 2012. There were many more great moments, but
