12/28

Emma’s Favorite Blog Posts of 2014

Uncategorized
By Emma Chapman

I love scrapbook sundaysHoly-cow-it's-almost-2015!!!! I hope you have your New Year's resolutions ready, guys, because time waits for no one. But before we plunge into the new year, I think it's super healthy to take a look back and remember some of the good things that happened in the previous year. So here's a look at my top 25 moments/blog posts/things I did/things other people did/etc. 

1. Elsie started a new feature this year called Scrapbook Sundays (you can find all of the series here). I love it. I really don't have a whole lot to do with the feature, so I feel I can go ahead and brag about my sister. She is killing it with the paper crafting right now. 

Miso soupLentil and tempeh wraps2. Obviously there's going to be food on this list. I mean, you saw that coming right? I tried to narrow down what my favorite savory dish was this year (that I made, not just something from a restaurant as that adds too many contenders). It's a tie between homemade miso soup and lentil and tempeh wraps. Both of these dishes are SO delicious I could probably eat one of each everyday. 

Girl bossFavorite read 20143. In 2014 I decided to try this crazy idea of starting a book club with my blog readers. I loved it! I can't decide on my favorite read from the year… but I think it's either #Girlboss or The Fault in Our Stars. I love both, for uh, pretty different reasons. 🙂

Office coffee cart4. The award for most used/most beloved office item goes to the ABM office coffee cart! I am a coffee addict. Actually one of my resolutions this year is to drink more water because I tend to lean too much on coffee (it's actually not the same thing—go figure). But coffee. Oh coffee, I love you.

On changing dreams5. Around the office when we are planning a post that is more about sharing than teaching (could be tips, personal story, etc.), we nickname these "talky posts." They are more rare, but I've had a few favorites this year. My top favorites I shared this year were my post about failing and starting again called On Changing Dreams and a post I shared on 10 Tips for a Productive Life (which I need to review).

Sister style6. It's hard to pick a favorite Sister Style from the year. Other than a recurring blog feature, this is also one of the more consistent ways I spend time with Elsie. So for that reason they are all my favorite (geez, I'm sentimental today!). But I love this one. Notice my blunt hair cut I got early last winter (almost a year ago). 

Cake stands7. I love everyone who writes for ABM. They rock! One of my favorites from Mandi this year was her homemade cake domes. Pretty, easy to make, and super useful if you like baking cake (and I DO).

Costa Rica8. I was blessed enough to get to travel a bit this year. I loved every minute of every trip I was on and all the people I was with. But probably my favorite was our trip to Costa Rica. It was just epic.

No bake cookiesSkillet cookie9. Favorite sweet treat this year? I ONLY GET TO PICK ONE?!?! I'm still going to have to make it a tie between no bake cookies and my skillet cookie. So good and simple. Runners up: all the crème brûlée I've made this year (lavender, espresso and sweet potato).

Trey's job hunting article10. Every now and again Trey writes a blog post. He's a great writer, and I keep trying to encourage him to write a novel or something. He's just really good. But, I digress. One of my favorite articles he wrote this year was on tips for job hunting. It's a good one.

Stained wood wall11. One of my favorite projects that Josh worked on this year was Elsie's stained wood walls in her dining room. Every time I'm over there it just feels like a restaurant. So fancy!

Happy Mail12. Favorite product launch/awkward photo shoot? This one. For sure. Guys, if you haven't heard about Happy Mail, where have you been!? It's our stationary subscription and it's awesome. Not only does Elsie do an amazing job designing every month and making it special, but the product is also an incredible value. Read more here. But, have you ever had to lay on the floor with envelopes all around you, trying to smile and look natural? Well… do it some weekend just to see. I dare you. 🙂

Feather pendant13. Laura has made about one million projects I've loved this year. That's not even an exaggeration (well… maybe a little). But one that sticks out in my mind is this DIY feather pendant. It's so pretty and has held up so well all this year. 

Standing desk14. A favorite project I did this year (with help from Trey) was our standing wrap-around desk in our home office room. Well, it's a home office, music room, and sewing room. Sometimes a workout room too. We multitask. 🙂

Soap on a rope15. A favorite post that Katie created this year was her homemade soap on a rope. Too cute and so useful.

Photos of trey and me16. I'm trying to make sure that Trey and I get some photos together at least a couple times a year. I just want to make sure I have photos of us as we age and live our lives together. This past June we celebrated our first wedding anniversary. We did a quick photo shoot with Sarah around that time, and I love all the photos we were able to get, especially this one. I have a printed version of this hanging in our bedroom currently.

Clothing rack17. I loved this DIY clothing rack that Ruby Ellen shared—so pretty!

Guest bedroom18. I loved sharing so many of the before and after looks of rooms in our home on the blog this year. One of the very last ones I shared turned out to be a favorite, our minimal guest bedroom.

Magazine holder19. Favorite project made with leather in 2014? (Random award, that's how I roll.) This magazine rack. I'm itching to steal it from the office and take it home. 🙂

Office room tour20. We loved sharing room tours of the entire ABM office house with you this year. One of my favorites is this office room. See that desk in the corner? Pretty much 99% of the time I'm sitting right there when I'm typing posts (including this one). It's a space where I spend a lot of time, so it's fun sharing it with you all.

LaTonya's great dates post21. I love reading what LaTonya writes including this cute Great Dates feature she did with her family in their hometown (Brooklyn, NY… I guess that's more a neighborhood than a town really, but you get what I mean).

No sew sweater poncho22. Recently I had a lot of fun making this easy no-sew sweater wrap. I call it my fashionable Snuggie.

Wedding photo booths23. My favorite photo-based project of the year was probably when I put all my wedding photobooth images together using the Party Party app and printed them out as photobooth strips. This is currently hanging above our fireplace at home and I love it.

HFHS project house inspiration24. In 2014 we had the insane idea to buy a house in need of major repairs, fix it up, and share the process on the blog, and then donate it to Habitat for Humanity. We're excited to share more progress and the final looks later this year. Fun times!

Woven stockings25. And last but not least, my favorite project from Rachel this year. That's a tough one because she pretty much knocks it out of the park every time. The lady's got talent (see her archives here). But recently she shared how to make these woven stockings, and I am for SURE making these for next year. I love them—so pretty! Plus homemade stockings just makes them all the more special.

2014 has been amazing, and I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store for us. Whatever it is, you can bet we'll be blogging about it. Thank you for reading! You guys are amazing, and you made this past year truly special for our little website. Thank you, thank you, thank you. xo. Emma

Credits // Author: Emma Chapman. Photos from previous posts on ABM, click the links included to find the original credits in each.

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