So this is kind of crazy. This month A Beautiful Mess turns 10 years old! Whoa. We have been blogging for a whole decade now and it’s kind of surreal! Our archives tell us that the site started back on July 6, 2007. The world was much simpler back then; I mean that was the year the very first iPhone came out (maybe there were other things going on in the world too … maybe).
Elsie and I have been looking back and talking a lot about what’s happened over the years and we’re both feeling pretty darn grateful. We thought it might be fun to take a peek back, so get a coffee and get ready because this post is going to be a long one. Since we both have different perspectives we decided to write this post together, but also indicate who is talking so you can hear both of our thoughts from the years. We also have some other celebrations and thank yous planned and we’ll tell you more about that at the end.
Let’s take our time machine back to 2007. If you want to see our full archives from any of these years, check here. Or you can see some highlights we’ve put together.
Elsie: I always say that I feel SO LUCKY that I started a blog back in the day when it was ACTUALLY just for fun. I started ABM because it looked FUN to have a blog. I truly had NO IDEA that it could ever become a business in any way.
I honestly started the blog because some of my friends had blogs, I enjoyed reading them every day and it looked fun. So I just started.
I still miss the days when we just wrote about literally the first thing that came to our minds. We didn’t plan. We didn’t try too hard. We just shared our lives.
Augh … so long ago! I love what blogging has become—there is SO much opportunity. But I do miss how pure and simple it was. Good times!
Emma: Really, Elsie started this site and I joined her in 2010. But I’ll still share a few of my thoughts from over the years. And 2007 was a crazy year for me. I graduated college and not too long after I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting (which didn’t really work out and you can read more about that here). Rachel and I were selling a scrapbooking kit together and we had this “group” called Red Velvet that was loosely just the three us being friends and making things together. I showed up here on the site pretty often though, just being in photos when I visited Elsie or when she visited me, which was actually really often. We’ve always been really close and supported each other in whatever we were doing, so I knew and had helped in various ways with her scrapbooking line, her Etsy shop, and then of course I knew about her blog.
Oh, and looking back at these photos I am thinking I should never go full brunette again. Just doesn’t look right to me anymore. I think there’s going to be a lot of embarrassing hairstyles and other phases ahead though. Let’s see what was going on in 2008
Elsie: 2008 was a beautiful year in my life, because it’s when I met Jeremy. Our “kind of” first date was actually New Year’s Eve (but not really, we were still “just friends”). Jeremy infamously kissed my SISTER (on the cheek) when the clock struck 12 and not me. Haha! Our REAL first date was a couple weeks after that. And we’ve been together ever since!
Besides falling in love, 2008 was significant because it was the first year I began to support myself through my Etsy shop. To be honest, I think it was premature and I spent some years struggling before I truly made a living wage. But those lessons learned the hard way were still valuable lessons. And, I mean, hindsight is 20/20. I look back and think, “WOW, crazy,” but at the time I was just living my life, doing my best. It was a good year.
And what about 2009 …
Elsie: Our first shop! This was a huge step for me and a beautiful memory. Opening that store meant so much to me and was a bucket list item for sure. Looking back, I’m so grateful I got to try such a unique and risky business venture in my 20s.
I will always remember this year because it was when I got really serious about blogging. I began to “try” (Haha). I started to write not just every day, but a lot of times twice a day. I remember being amazed by how fast it was growing, and even thought I didn’t realize that my business was kind of starting … I did feel the start of something. I guess I would call 2009 the start of something.
Emma: Do you see that weird little hipster looking guy in the bottom left? That’s Trey. Elsie had many gracious friends be in product photography over the years and Trey modeled a few T-shirts and then this felt sleeping mask I had sewn by hand. I knew Trey from college but it was really he and Elsie who had stayed friends over the years. So I totally laughed when I saw this photo in the archives from 2009. Ha! Little did we know that about four years later we’d be getting married. Life is so weird. You can also see a few old Red Velvet T-shirt designs in these photos. Do you think we should bring back the skeleton looking one or new version of it with Oui Fresh this Halloween? I still kind of like it. 🙂 Also, this was the year that Elsie started what would become one of our longest running series, 10 Things I Love Sunday.
Let’s go back to 2010 now.
Elsie: This is the year we expanded our store to its second location. Jeremy and I got engaged.
Our store wasn’t very successful. We’d have a decent number of customers on the weekends, but during the week it was crickets. So this is really the year Emma and I started to blog together and I asked her to become a co-author with me. Since then we have done everything together and owned everything 50/50. By far the best decision of my life.
Emma: For me, this feels like the year that everything really started. I moved back to Missouri from Los Angeles and decided to work with Elsie and give it everything I had. Up until this point, I feel like I never truly committed to any path in life. I went to college because my parents asked me to (and I liked it but I didn’t really have a plan and ended up majoring in philosophy because I loved it). I moved to L.A. to be an actress but I always kept a backup plan in my mind, and I actually studied for and took my LSAT and was half-heartedly beginning the application process to law schools, but I never really could commit to that either. So finally, broke and feeling totally directionless, Elsie said “Why don’t you please just move home and help me with my business?” And, for some reason, I did. And I committed all the way to it. No backup plan. And thankfully, that has lead to a lot of really great things for me and it all started in 2010.
Some other highlights from the year included opening our new, expanded vintage store, making new friends, throwing our niece a birthday party at the store, starting to share DIYs on this site (I think this may be the first with steps), that time a couple got engaged at our shop (!!!!), and sharing the first hair tutorial we ever did on ABM as well. We were starting to get into our blogging groove, but I don’t think we really understood the potential of it yet. Plus we were very busy trying to build our local shop into a sustainable business, and the first year of any small business (ours included, for sure!) faces tons of challenges. It felt like we were learning a lot every single day. I actually remember I lost a lot of weight this year in part because we were so busy and I was pretty stressed out. Don’t get me wrong, I was also happy and I had chosen this path, so I’m not complaining. But it’s just something that stands out to me as a lesson in remembering to take care of yourself even when your life goes through major changes.
And then what? Let’s go to 2011.
Elsie: This year is a little fuzzy for me. But I can see from the photos that I married Jeremy AND got Dolly, so I guess it was one of the best years of my life. Wish I could remember more. Haha!
I think we were just so busy in those days. We were really starting to gain a bit of traction as a business and find our voice and our place in the blog world. We started to talk about wanting to write books together. We were working so hard, but just barely starting to see the positive. It was a lot of trial and error.
Emma: This year was full of love and transitions. To me, this was probably the year that it started to feel like we were more “bloggers” than vintage shop owners. Although we didn’t really know if blogging was an actual career or not, we just knew that we loved it and felt excited to build this site. We put more and more time into it and watched it grow. We hired Kinsey to work in the shop some during the day so we had more time to build our blog, and we loved her so much she ended up helping us with the site, too. She also got married that year, just a day or two (or maybe it was the following weekend) after Elsie and Jeremy, if I remember right. We went early to help set up things for her and I had bright blue hair from Elsie’s wedding, so I’m sure it seemed strange to many of her family. 🙂 We also got our first big press feature, in a magazine we loved at the time (RIP ReadyMade). The blog grew to be more and more like it is today, filled with DIYs, recipes, crafts, home decor, room tours, fashion, and still plenty of personal things (to me, it’s all personal, but you know what I mean). There was also a time Elsie took Trey and Abby’s photos for their EP, so once again Trey creeps into the archives before we ever started dating. And in case you’re curious on that front, that’s probably one of the harder things that happened for me this year. So many things were going well, but I also went through some heartbreak as a few months after Elsie’s wedding my then-boyfriend and I broke up (he dumped me, in case that kind of thing really matters to you). So in that area of my life, I felt pretty down on myself and pretty much had resigned to give up. Little did I know what the next year would bring.
So what happened next? Let’s go to 2012.
Elsie: Aww, HELL YEAH. One of the best years ever. We finally fully committed to being full-time bloggers. Our store was open for a little bit longer, but we hired other people to work there and we spent all our time and energy keeping up with blog posts while writing our first book.
Jeremy and I moved into our first home (purchased together) and I decorated it TO DEATH. I probably decorated every room like 4-5 times. But I learned so much. I feel like we were really coming into our own as business owners. Designing a dress collection for Modcloth (after doing a few independent lines on our own) was a dream come true.
Aww … Ugh, photo of tiny Bella breaks my heart a little bit (she’s 9 now!)
Emma: This year totally ruled. The blog was growing by leaps and bounds as we kept sharing content we were passionate about: recipes, crafts, home decor, personal moments and articles. Looking back has made me realize I have always absolutely LOVED writing this blog. It’s not always easy or perfect, sometimes things don’t turn out how you thought they would or things take longer or something goes totally wrong, but I love writing this site. It’s a total joy and this year was no different. Quite a few other big things happened too. So first, we started renting a loft to use for blogging as well as another big project that came our way: our first book! Writing a book and a blog at the same time is kind of nuts because it’s really creating double the content. So we learned a lot from our first book deal (which was for two books). We started new features, including At Home With. Elsie designed a clothing line for ModCloth which was totally different from us producing our own independent line the previous few years. We met Shawn and toured his chocolate factory and got totally inspired by how they do business. Later, we would get the opportunity to do a collaboration bar together. We hosted our very first Friendsgiving that year — can you believe we’ve done five now!? That first one will always be special to me. And I fell totally in love with Trey and by the end of the year we were engaged (which to me is lightning speed, but I know others of you may have a similar story).
And then, 2013 happened.
Elsie: Making an app started off all our ideas. It didn’t feel any different at the time than all the other dozens of products we’ve launched though the years, except it was way more expensive (we spent all our savings at the time to build our first app). We were warned by friends and family members that it might be a bad idea, that we might not get our money back. To be fair, this is true! There are tons of good apps that don’t make any profit.
But our story was magical. Probably the most magical business story of my life … like something I’ll tell my grandkids someday. I’m not saying it was all rainbows though, we learned a lot of things the hard way and we got screwed big time (it’s all good now; we believe in karma!). Any business is a lot of work and a learning curve to start, but we stumbled upon a really great place for ourselves in a young, emerging industry.
That app changed our lives forever and was the start of something really special that eventually sparked the idea for A Color Story.
Emma: If I had to pick a year to say when my career as a blogger officially started, I’d probably pick this year? I think. It’s hard to say. But 2013 was full of hard decisions, taking business risks, and ultimately it ended up being a crazy year of growth for our business. First, we had been blogging AND running a vintage store with more and more of our time and resources going to blogging. So we finally made the decision to close the store and after trying to sell it for a little while and not finding any buyers, we held an estate sale to liquidate our remaining assets (which sounds business-y, but really it felt like a giant garage sale). That was a hard decision, and it was sad to watch everything get sold and then have to clean out the building afterward (not to mention it was a LOT of work that many people helped us with!). Our first book came out and we were THRILLED with it. We hosted a book signing in Nashville (this was long before Elsie moved there) and that was SO special. We rarely get to meet readers in real life, so when we do it’s always a treat. We launched our very first app, which we named A Beautiful Mess (we had no idea we’d make more apps … if we had, *maybe* we would have named it something else … oops). We bought a house to function as our studio space, a major upgrade from the loft and working from our houses. We gave that house some major TLC and shared lots of room tours over the next few years. And on a personal note, I got MARRIED! We shared lots and lots of photos from our wedding and also our honeymoon to Switzerland. Oh, and yeah, we kept right on blogging and sharing content around all our favorite subjects still. I guess as things change all around us, that is the one constant: We keep on blogging. 🙂
So what happened in 2014?
Emma: The main thing that stands out to me from 2014 is that our team grew significantly. We had the money to hire more talented people, so we did. And that was pretty awesome, although our team is a bit smaller now or at least feels that way since we’re spread out between two states. Our second book was released, and that was awesome, but we decided to take a little break from writing books because, whoa, it is a lot of work. 🙂 We released our Blog Life e-course that year, which is still one of our most popular courses. We launched our second app, PartyParty. And we learned so much from that, plus all the updates and things we had learned from the first app. Always learning. And even though we were a bigger team, so at times it felt less “personal” (although to me almost everything about ABM is personal, but you know what I mean here again), we tried to pull back the curtain and share behind the scenes in a feature we called Casual Friday. Now I think IG stories are sort of the same thing, but it was a fun feature and now kind of functions like a business scrapbook for me. 🙂
Elsie: 2014 was a hard year for me. Our business grew so fast (both in numbers and in opportunities) and I didn’t know how to handle it at times. It was stressful. Looking back, I wish I would have found a good counselor. Growing pains like that are totally normal in business, but I fought it.
That Golden Girls halloween costume though??? So fun.
I was so incredibly proud of our second app, PartyParty. It was eventually made obsolete by Boomerang (which is awesome and it’s all good—haha) but it was still something I loved doing at the time.
And remodeling that work house was a huge education in design for me. I learned so much and LOVED doing it. You can tell because I basically replicated that kitchen in my own home that I have now … haha!
Now things are starting to feel familiar, so what about 2015?
Emma: This was one of those years where a LOT happened. Lots of beginnings and ends of things. So first, we had this crazy idea to renovate a house for ABM and then donate to our local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. We completed and donated the house this year and had a mini ribbon cutting ceremony (where our niece Penny stole the show as usual) to celebrate. I haven’t heard an update on the house this year (in part because privacy is important for this particular project/location), but as of 2015 the plan HFHS shared with me was to either use the house for a traditional single-family purpose or use it as a volunteer center, as they were thinking about doing more work in that same neighborhood. Elsie and Laura announced and started their move to Nashville. Emma was sad. I totally got left behind! 🙂 We hosted our first Nashville Friendsgiving in Elsie’s new home. We launched a small business e-course called Start Small Dream Big. We announced that we were writing a cookbook, which was a total dream come true for me! Elsie, Jeremy, Trey and I got to go on one of my favorite trips to date—Amsterdam and then Iceland. If you ever get a chance to visit Iceland, I would totally recommend it. It’s such a beautiful and unique place. And, of course, we kept blogging. One new feature we started this year was we started sharing travel guides of cities. So yeah, for me I’d have to give this year an A- only because it really was kind of hard for me to have Elsie move away. Even though I totally understood her reasons for doing so (to support her husband’s career), it still felt like my best friend was moving away. So yeah, lots of transition, but it was still a really great year.
Elsie: Deciding to move away from my sister was one of the hardest choices I ever made. You obviously know that I did it to support my husband’s career (and it worked, by the way; his career has grown so much) but it was not easy. I miss Emma every day. And we had to relearn so much about how to work together in this completely new situation. But after two years, I know for sure that this is what I want to be doing as a career and that Emma is the best partner in the whole world.
So many bloggers these days are leasing big studios to work out of, but we kind of did the opposite. We went back to working from home. And we love it! I feel like we really found what worked for us and that’s something I am proud of. Plus, working from home is one of my favorite things. I really, truly love it.
The other thing that really stands out from this year was doing the Habitat For Humanity house, which Emma talked about above. In reading this timeline, you can see how recently we were completely broke. So being in a place as a business to be able to devote time and money to a project like this was beyond special to us. I also have to say that Real Simple pitched in and did so much to help us furnish the house. It was unlike any media experience I have ever had—they have amazing hearts!
And last year, 2016 was a full one too.
Emma: Last year was just nuts! We launch our third app, A Color Story. And to the public, it’s just another (great) app, but behind the scenes we transitioned to apps being a totally separate company from A Beautiful Mess. Yes, it’s the same owners, but it’s separate in every other way as its own business entity. That company owns all of our apps now and we have big plans to expand it in the coming years. Not to mention ACS has been growing by leaps and bounds—we’ve already passed over 4 million downloads. What?! A huge part of this year was spent creating our cookbook and I can’t wait to share more of that with you all soon. We also launched our latest venture, Oui Fresh. Last year, it started as a clothing and accessories brand, and we plan to expand it into a few more (and REALLY exciting) areas soon. We’re working on a whole post to share with you about that ASAP. Trey and I, along with two friends, opened a bar in our hometown, The Golden Girl Rum Club. That has been going great and I have an update and a new feature to share about that soon. Elsie announced that she and Jeremy will be adopting from China soon, and I can’t wait to meet her! And of course, we kept blogging and sharing content we love, like always. It was a good year, for sure!
Elsie: Ugh … I might cry. This has been one of the best years of my life. ACS is hands down the thing I am most proud of in my career. It has been a dream project for me, and so fulfilling.
Adopting has changed my life forever. As cheesy as it sounds, I feel like a different person from before we started the process a year ago. We’re not 12 months in and it feels like an eternity. We are currently waiting to be matched with a child (which we’ve been warned can take up to nine months). So I predict many more nesting projects in my near future.
And even though we’ve just reached our 10-year anniversary for A Beautiful Mess, we’re also in the middle of 2017, so I figured we’d share a few highlights from the year so far.
Oui Fresh is growing SO much behind the scenes right now. We have so many products and a new shop site to share with you this coming autumn—it’s going to be good year, for sure. We are branching out into new categories and cannot wait to share full details soon!
And speaking of growing, Laura and Todd welcomed a new addition to their family this year. Little Lola has already stolen all our hearts. 🙂
Emma: Trey and I decided to live and work from L.A. for a month this year and we did that in March. It was awesome. It was weird. I loved it. A sweet friend took some beautiful photos of us while we were there, which you can see here.
And Elsie just announced that she’s going to be renovating an East Nashville house this year that maybe some of you will stay in one day? Read more here.
Elsie: When I started this blog, I never imagined that I could be doing it for 10 years … but here we are. And what’s crazy is I can EASILY see us doing this for another 10. The cool thing about blogging is that you can change it up a little bit every year to suit your changing interests and lifestyle. We’ve been doing that for 10 years and we will continue to.
People ask me (privately) if I am over blogging and my answer is an honest HELL NO. I love this stuff. I even started a family blog on the side just for fun. I truly just enjoy having an outlet to share my changing life with people who have some things in common with me. It’s the best.
The last thing I want to say is that we could never do all this without our incredible team and you all who read this blog. Thank you for coming back here and being a part of our lives. We love you so much!
Emma: Ten years of blogging is crazy but what’s even more crazy to us is that none of it would be possible without you. Thank you SO much for reading and following our journey! We’re hoping we get to keep going for another 10 years, so stick around, please! And the rest of this month we’re going to be hosting 10 awesome giveaways with peeks back to the past for you all. We’ve got some pretty big prizes in store, so check back so you don’t miss your chance to win. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. xo. Emma + Elsie
169 Comments
Been reading since 2008! It’s been so fun watching you guys grow! Congrats on 10 years.
Hi Vicky!
Thank you so much for reading all these years!!!!
Happy 10 years! I literally have been around since say, month 6…all those photos I recognize! You’ll always be one of my favorite blogs <3
Wow- thank you!!!!! 🙂
This is so wild! I’ve been reading since probably 2010, and I think that makes this the biggest commitment I’ve had so far in my life—ha! It was so fun to look back and read about the process of making all of this happen!
Haha, me too! Since 2010 and one of my biggest commitments ?
You are my all time favourite!!
Thank you so much! ?
//Julie (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Such an inspiring and awesome look back! You guys have come so far and done so much! Love it!!
I’ve watched you all grow and it’s kind of amazing. We’re about the same age so I feel like that underlying “thing” between women at certain ages that starts to happen, we can and have shared that in a cosmic sense. I’m proud of you guys and genuinely happy for you.
Also, I used Party Party just last week. So… there’s that.
Best of luck in 2017!! …and beyond.
From the looks of it, I have been loyally reading since 2010. Thank you for all that you do and persevering through the tough times! Your motivation and dedication are inspiring and truly have gotten you to where you both are today!!
Elsa+Emma,
Reading this post literally brought tears to my eyes! I discovered your blog in 2009 while I was still in High School. I remember having it bookmarked on my first little purple dell laptop and reading your blog every single day. It’s like, I remember my own life through the pictures and everything on this post. I remember being so inspired by all the colors, and style and you guys! And later, when blogs became bigger and bigger, I always loved just how truly authentic this place has felt. I remember I bought your 1st app, and it was the first time I ever spent money on an app! it was probably .99 and it felt like a huge splurge! I literally followed your makeup tutorials to a TEE. I still remember writing down every single product and going to Target. I just can’t get over how many meaningful memories this has jogged for me. I am so thankful for this corner of the internet. I’ve been so happy for you every step of the way – every book, engagement, wedding, new series, business venture. As it has been for me, it seems like the best is always ahead! Lots of love and good vibes to the whole team at A Beautiful Mess <3
Marissa
also I know your name is ELSIE! lol 😀
Your comment literally just make me tear up a little. It means a TON to us that this place has been a source of inspiration and encouragement to women like you. It’s seriously one of the greatest honors of my life. Thank you for book marking us even way back then! 🙂
Awe- sending you a giant imaginary hug! haha
Thanks so much for reading.
Aw I love you guys and this post so much! I feel like I have grown right along with you through these 10 years! I was an early blog reader, met you guys at the Nashville book signing and have adored following along. You are both such inspirations and mean the world to me 🙂 xoxo
It’s so amazing to see how much the blog has grown! I started reading in early 2011- right when I was graduating college (and freaking out about what the next step for me was.) Reading this blog has helped me with personal creative goals (opening an etsy shop! yay!) and I still religiously read every day for inspiration. Congrats on 10 amazing years! I’m excited for 10 more!!
I have been reading since the beginning. I discovered Elsie when she was in the scrapbooking world on 2peas way back in the day. ? You both are such an inspiration. Congrats on your 10 successful years and may you have many more to come.
Thank you so so much for following along all these years. 🙂
xx
I’ve been reading, wow, probably since 2010! It’s been so inspiring and encouraging to watch you both grow and connect with us as readers. I smile and clap internally every time y’all announce a new book or app or some big news. It literally makes me so happy and excited to see this blog and business grow! It’s amazing! This is one of the only blogs I read daily because I love it so much. I am genuinely so inspired by what you have made here.
CONGRATULATIONS ON TEN YEARS! Cheers to ten more!
Happy 10th Birthday! Thank you so much for all the happy inspiration.????
I think I’ve read every post from the last 10 years as I followed Elsie from scrapbooking and was thrilled when she landed in blogging.
You and Emma have built so many beautiful things with ABM and it’s been thrilling to watch your success over the years.
FWIW, I use Party! Party! several times a week. It’s a great app and does exactly what I need 🙂
You have come so far!! Happy ten years, ABM!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
I’m so proud of you both! So happy that I following along this blog since 2009 up till now. Love you, Elsie + Emma!
I have been here since the BEGINNING and I think I’ve read every post you all have ever made so reading through this was so nostalgic for me too! I remember posts I read in my bedroom as a high school (now 25)!!! It’s been so exciting to watch the business grow and evolve over the years. I’d love to see/hear more about the Golden Girl Rum Club! Maybe a story about the inspiration? A little insight into how it’s run?
Keep up the great work!
i’ve been here the whole time! it has been phenomenal to share the passion, the excitement and the fun along the way. congrats to you all, and thanks for the inpsiration and ideas 🙂
Really great post. Thanks for sharing your 10 year journey! I think sometimes we get discouraged when we don’t see things moving fast enough or even when we don’t know where to go with a business. It’s encouraging to see how your brand has evolved. And how you had to let some things like the store go in order to pursue other things. That doesn’t mean it was a bad idea or that it wasn’t a lot of fun, it was just time to go in a new direction. Great advice for business & life! I’ve been following since 2011 and it’s been fun to see your business grow. Wishing you all the best for 10 more years and beyond!
I’ve been reading and keeping up since the beginning! It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years, but you guys have accomplished so much. You guys are amazing!!
This is so amazing! You have come so far and have achieved so much over the years, as a blogger it really makes me want to keep going. Thank you for that!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
You guys! This is seriously the most amazing post! ABM has been such an incredible source of inspiration and positivity for so many years, and it’s so wondeful to read all about the past decade. Can’t wait to see all that will occur in the NEXT ten years (and beyond)!!!
Congrats to you! I’ve been following since the very beginning and even the older blog. Thank you for sharing this post as I found myself reminiscing over what was going on in my life during those years…cheers to another 10 years!!!
Happy 10 years! Been following a long since the beginning. You guys are such an inspiration!
Hello! I am so glad that you all made a timeline for this journey through the past. It’s crazy because, in seeing all of this, it reminds me of how long I have been a reader on this blog. Like, I have been here since almost the beginning! I didn’t even realize! Anyways, you all have grown so much as blogger, and I have enjoyed seeing this process over the years. Your content has been a major source of inspiration for me, and it definitely fills a lot of my Pinterest boards. I am also a happy user of the apps, too. I cannot wait to see what else is in store for ABM. I have loved the journey so far, so I will definitely be here for the rest!
Congrats on this huge milestone! Ive been following this blog since 2011 and it’s my favorite. I will certainly keep up for the next 10 as well as following all the REALLY CUTE products you launch on Oui Fresh! ❤
Happy 10 years! Its crazy to me how long I’ve been reading this blog, I obviously only think about it when I see posts like this but I definitely remember reading about Elsie’s wedding as a dedicated follower so it has to have been like 7+ years. Craziness! Your journey has been amazing to watch and every time you announce a new launch or a personal milestone I feel genuinely happy and proud of you guys in a way that I don’t feel with other blogs I follow haha. Hope things are still going strong in 10 more years! 🙂
Been a reader for about 7 years! Love it!
Congratulations for this huge milestone!!! The best part? Thinking “OMG I remember that!” while reading your post. I’ve been a loyal reader since 2010. Ceers from Italy! <3
Emma, your hair looks so much better with a side part! You should bring that back!
You think so?! I kept thinking while I was making some of these collages, “Man, never do the side part again Emma. No good.” So funny!
Haha, well as long as you love it, that’s what matters!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! So much positive change and growth, and hopefully another ten years of the blog to come!
xx
Wow this is wonderful, congrats on 10 years! I am so happy for you guys 🙂 I’ve been a daily reader since 2011 and it has been amazing to watch ABM grow. You ladies have always felt like close girlfriends offering kindness, inspiration and positive vibes. If I’m having a rough day at the office or in need of a pick-me-up I can always find something wonderful here to brighten my mood. Thanks for all you have done over the years, you really have an impact on people. Cheers!
That means a lot Beth. I love that our site brightens your not-so-great days. Such a privilege.
Loved this post, it makes me think of what was going on in my life those years while reading your blog! Loved seeing this!
Oh man, I loved this recap! Mostly because it made me realize that I have been a regular reader since 2009 – what!? You guys have always been such an inspiration and this recap goes to show that so clearly. You’ve evolved and grown but have stayed so true to your brand and to your readers through it all. I’ve always felt so connected to this blog because you guys feel like friends. Thank you for all you pour into this every single day! We appreciate it more than we could ever say.
I love you guys,I’ve been with you for a while and even recently been going (again) back to the archives to find some inspirations
Congratulations and all best wishes for the future plans!! I am looking forward reading about them all.:)
Love. Iva
What an exciting day for ABM! You guys are my favorite blog ever! I love that everyone is so real and that the projects range from first time DIY’er to braving large pieces of plywood and major renos!
Congratulations, and here’s to 10 more years! <3
What a sweet trip down memory lane! I’ve been reading since 2010– one of the first posts I remember reading is Elsie’s engagement post! I didn’t even know this girl but felt so happy for her. Even more, so inspired by the life she created and the projects she taught others to create. Still along for the journey over here in Los Angeles and loving every minute!
Happy 10th girls! I remember most of this stuff. I love how you’ve grown and continue to challenge yourselves in new creative ways as the years pass. I honestly don’t think there’s anything you can’t do. Love you much!!! xoxoxo
I’ve been reading ABM since 2008! I can’t believe it’s been 10 years already! Time flies! I lovingly refer to ABM as “the bible” to my husband. You two are the best! xoxo
This post tugged at my heart strings. I can’t remember when I started reading but taking a look back through your archives here, it’s been a freaking long time. HOW has time flown by so quickly??? Honestly I feel like just yesterday I was looking through the photos from Elsie’s wedding. Insane.
Anyway, I have loved following along, and A Beautiful Mess will always be the OG blog to me – and what inspired me to create my own. Can’t wait to see what you guys have in store next. <3
http://www.wonderlandsam.com
love this! and congratulations! I have been following since the very first days and it all has been great! You guys are awesome 😉
Congratulations on 10 years! I’ve been reading since 2011 and just wore my ABM for ModCloth skirt the other day! Continually inspired by all that y’all do. Here’s to many more!
Congratulations on your 10 year anniversary! What you’ve achieved in that time is truly amazing. How fun to look back at the archives. xxx
I’ve been around since the beginning when you were friends with Will. I enjoyed his photography.
He’s a talented dude. I think there’s at least a couple photos of his in the first few years of collages. 🙂
Oh my god! a decade???Congratulations!!! I’ve been reading you since 2010, from Spain, and you have been the most inspiring blog for me! I’ts amazing see all these photos and remember these moments with you! I think you really influenced my life and style and you’re also part of who I am now. I want to thank you all these years of work. Congrats!
I’ve been reading every single day since probably 2009. I actually got a little emotional reading this post because ABM feels like such a big part of my life. Traveling through Central America and Thailand, backpacking in the woods, I would always find wifi in a cafe or hostel and check in with my ABM ladies. I can remember where I was in life when you guys were going to transitions too. I don’t really know any of you, but it feels like I do! So grateful for this space and all of the energy and inspiration you pour out.
This is awesome. ABM is so inspiring. Congrats to you all! <3
Love this blog! Been reading for a long time. You all really got me back into scrapbooking. 🙂
Congratulations on a huge milestone. I love ABM and I use ACS daily!
Thank you for a DECADE of fantastic, engaging and creative blogging! I’ve been reading since 2009/I think? I have loved watching the blog and both of you grow over the years! I will always love your combination of DIY, recipes, hair/beauty tutorials, real life/personal updates, and lifestyle posts. I’ve been loving your larger scale architectural DIY’s in the last few years, like Elsie’s Playhouse or the pergola/gazebo planter a few years back. I do miss the Home Tours and Sister Style though! You guys and your amazing team are THE BEST!!
I started reading your blog around 2008/2009. What a trip down memory lane this is! Crazy to look back at some of your photos and posts and think things like “There us NO WAY it’s been 5 years since that!” (or whatever the case may be). Time really does fly! Congratulations on 10 years!!
Wow! My sister & I have been reading A Beautiful Mess from the beginning… I had no idea it had been ten years already! Thanks so much, Elsie & Emma (& the rest of the ABM team), for sharing your lives & homes & projects & business tips with us over the years. I’m excited for all the things yet to be created!
As I see, I’ve been following your since at least 6 years! Time flies! Omg. I have the feeling nothing much happened in my life on those years. Time to change that! 😀 keep on doing your great jobs, you always make me smile!
Been following along for so long!! So proud of you ladies. keep up the amazing work!
This is so exciting! I’ve been following since around 2008 I think. I recognized so many of these photos! I’m so happy for your success and so exciting to see how this has grown! Your blog helped inspire me while we were waiting for our first adoption and it really saved my sanity. So many crafts I tried because of you girls and I learned so much! Thank you for the years of inspiration!♡
Happy Anniversary!! I’ve been a reader since 2010 after a friend recommended your awesome blog to me. We traveled from KC (home) to Springfield and visited Red Velvet. LOVED that store! Hoping to go back and visit Golden Girl Rum Club soon too. There’s a chance Elsie and Jeremy’s anniversary is the same as mine and my fiance! We’ve been together for 6 1/2 years and love celebrating in cold snuggly winter 🙂 I’ve enrolled in the “Up Your Instagram Game” course and will start it soon. Very excited to learn more tricks of the trade from you ever inspiring ladies. From a fellow Missouri girl – Congrats and cannot wait to follow along for the next 10 years! xoxox
It’s great to read all this. It was a major catch up.
I used to follow up with the blog in 2009-2011 or so
Then when Google reader die (R.I.P.) I never found any other good replacement…
But now I’m back and it’s awesome how everything changed and it’s amazing! Congrrats!
So beautiful to see you recap- I started reading in 2008 as an awkward teen who loved to create and loved fashion… I grew up turning to your blog for inspiration and some sort of haven! Thanks for letting me ride along as ABM grew up, and I did too!
Many more years of success to you.
Xoxoxo
Wow, what a throwback! I’ve been following for at least 8 years now but it doesn’t feel like that long. It’s so great to see how far your business has come and what you both have accomplished. ABM is the blog that inspired me to start one myself, so it’s exciting to see you ladies become so successful! Congrats on 10 years!
This is so inspiring! I have been reading your blog for about 5 years. And seeing how you have evolved over the years in your blogging style and personal lives is inspiring as well. Keep on keeping on! I love it!
So fun to look back and remember where I was at while reading some of your blog posts! You ladies are amazing- can’t wait to follow your journey over the next 10 years!
I just realized I’ve been reading since I was 16! I’m 22 now. It’s only 6 years out of 10, but it’s like all of my teenage years! Did not know a lot about the behind. I just graduated and feel so lost, it’s so good to hear your amazing story. Congratulations, you are wonderful! Lot’s of love, from Brazil!
Happy ten years!! It’s so wonderful looking back through these memories, it’s hard to believe how fast thme can go! Congratulations to all your wonderful accomplishments…and so many more to come!
Dear Elsie and Emma, I almost never comment on Internet, but now I just have to say – congats! You are such an inspiration to me and I always love to visit this corner of the Internet. I love your honesty and the fact that you pour your heart and soul into all this, it is visible on every step of your journey. I’m contemplating about starting my own business some day, and when I come here and see what have you both created I just know that I can do anything if I commit to it. Keep up like this, I am sure that there are many many beautiful and messy years ahead of you and I am soo excited to continue to follow you on your journey. I wish you all the best 🙂
Omg! Congrats! I’m one of your lurker readers/followers who doesn’t ever comment but I wanted to say congratulations. I first started reading your blog sometime around 2010 when I was in HIGH SCHOOL. How crazy is that? Your style has influenced my home decor from my bedroom at my parents houses- to dorms- to a post grad apartment- to my house. I love seeing what you guys do, thanks for so many years of inspo!
I’ve been reading since the beginning of 2008, and its crazy how much my life has changed over that time. I got married the same year as Elsie, and I remember using this blog for so much inspiration for so many things over the years. This is the only blog that I have ready consistently (like almost every day) over the past 9 years. Love you girls, and thank you for creating A Beautiful Mess!
Holy wow!! Ten years is such an amazing achievement. Reading through this post has made me realise I have followed along for longer than I realised, since 2008 the year I left university and walked out into the big wide world for the first time. This site has always been such a happy corner of the internet for me, it’ never fails to inspire and lift my spirits. You have both achieved so much and I’m strangely proud despite the fact I don’t even know you! Xxx
Wow! 10 years is awesome! Keep up the great work and here’s to 10 more!
I’ve been reading since the beginning! I remember sitting in my design classes with 2 computer monitors, one was the project I was supposed to be working and and in the other was Red Velvet! ❤️ Such great memeories!
i remember when i discovered you, i was just getting of my perez hilton hifg.
i visited his website religiously.
then i took a week off and im not even sure how i found you guys but when i did, i went ALL THE WAY BACK!!!!
and ive been on ever since.
all the apps, the books, the phone case, the estate sale, everything.
happy 10 abm!
its crazy how time has flown.
here’s to 10 more!
I believe I started reading this blog back in 2011. I had already been following smile and wave and then saw her post about Elsie’s wedding and have been reading ever since. I have always been a crafty person so your DIYs and great hair tutorials have been a constant inspiration for me throughout the years! Thanks for all of it and happy 10 years!
I’ve been reading you for eight years then!! OHMYGOD. I hadn’t noticed it was so much time.
Congratulations to you both, for your business, your families and youselves, you’re both awesome ladies who have inspired me so much in these eight years (I’ve taken your classes, received your happy mails). SO thank you.
ALL the tears of joy, you guys. All of them. Been following along your trek for most of the ten years and, quite honestly, you’ve been on the top of my most-inspiring list. Thanks for that. And many many congratulations on your evolution…damn thrilling! Onward!♥
Congratulations girls. Wow where has that 10 yrs gone!! Some of those first photos seem just like yesterday. As a mum of 3 small kiddos back then you were that place I looked forward to for some time out with a coffee. I was a mad scrapbook back then and I was dabbling in other crafts too. You have provided over the years a place for women/men, crafters, vintage lovers, home lovers a place to feel inspired. Keep up the fantastic work girls……here’s to another 10 yrs xx
AH I teared up reading this. I started reading this blog when I was 16, I’m now 24. I’ve been going back and forth between shutting down my small business, and this post has inspired me to get back into it and give it my ALL. I feel like you two are long lost sisters to me – I really have grown up with you and seen you through all these phases. *Sending big virtual hugs* Congrats on a decade!!
Oh my goodness, I can’t believe the memory journey I just went on reading this! Ten years?? I remember pouring over the 52 Scrapbooking Challenges book as a 15 year old and realizing that scrapbooking wasn’t just a kooky aunt hobby, and it could be really cool! And of course I bought every single piece of Love, Elsie scrapbook supply at my local shop. I was totally obsessed with how cute it was. A Beautiful Mess has been such a source of crafty inspiration for me, and I can’t wait to see what the next ten years bring!
This was definitely a trip down memory lane!! When I moved to KC for a full-time job in 2012, I convinced my then boyfriend to roadtrip to Springfield for a weekend because you guys made it seem so cool! 🙂 I shopped at your store (bought two dresses I still have and LOVE). My living room Thrive couch is also totally based on one Elsie had at her first home. It’s been so fun to see you grow and change. While it hasn’t all been for me, I definitely understand and respect what you guys do and your reasons for why behind it. I keep tuning in for the stuff that I do like and am SO looking forward to all that’s coming up! Continue just being awesome.
Yay!!! Happy bday ABM!! I started following along with you guys about five years ago (I wish I was there once day one!!) and I have to say you guys have encouraged me to keep going with my Etsy shop that I just wanted to give up on so many times and really make our home and I feel like my life in general a creative and happy place. I started staying home with our son (who is now five 🙂 when I started reading your blog and I was a little lost and felt a little lonely just with the transition of working full time to well not. So in a way you guys were a type of therapy to me to just find little things all around that inspire and different ways to be creative and I kind of discovered a new me in a way 🙂 I think you guys are awesome keep on doing your thing because you seriously kick ass at it.
Andrea
Y’all are making me feel so old with this retrospective. Every picture I saw I was said, no, no way, that was like two years ago!! What a whirlwind watching you achieve your dreams. Here’s to 10 more years of whatever it is you have in store 😉
The chalkboard paint post first brought me to ABM in 2012 and I’ve been a daily reader ever since. Seeing all the posts reminds me of the various projects and recipes I’ve tried over the years, and how the blog has been a daily part of my life. My sister and I even made a detour to Springfield on a road trip last year so we could go to Golden Girl Rum Club (which was amazing). Thank you for bringing a daily dose of joy into so many lives!! ?
What a fun post! I’ve been with you all since the beginning and wow what a journey you’ve been on! It really is inspirational and just puts a big old smile on my face to look through all of your photos and read both of your takes on everything. Congrats! 🙂
Congratulations on 10 years!!! What a great recap (which I’m sure was hard to narrow down into one post).
I’ve actually peeked through some of your older archives back when you updated the site a couple months ago and it’s great motivation in my first year online business. I love seeing the growth and how ABM today evolved over the years.
A Color Story is my fav app hands down. I don’t edit my photos anywhere else because there is no need.
Looking forward to the next 10 years and beyond of inspirational reading (and shopping) with you all!
– Brooke
P.S. Emma, I loved the fast engagement. When you know you know right? My husband and I got engaged 13 months in and were married 5 weeks later!
YES TO THE SKELETON SHIRT. YESSSSSSS
congratulations on 10 years and THANK YOU!!! i started reading in 2010 and at the time i was working an awful desk job and would waste so many hours on your blog. it got me through that period of my life in a small but very important way. 🙂 while my favorite sites have changed over the years, y’all are the one constant because you are so genuine and open and real and i LOVE that!
here’s to 10 more!! <3
I loved this post so much! I can’t believe that I’ve been reading this blog since 2011! I think I started reading while you were doing all of your wedding posts, Elsie. I’ve loved watching the blog grow so much, and all the apps that you guys have made over the years too!
Good luck for the next 10 years! I can’t wait to see what you guys come up with!
xo April | April Everyday
You guys are the best! One of the first blogs I ever discovered was ABM and it inspired me to start my own. I seriously love following along with everything you do in your crazy awesome lives! ACS is my favorite app and currently the only filter app on my phone – I was struggling for so long to find a perfect one and then you came up with the BEST one ever. Congrats on ten years… that’s amazing. I’m so excited to see more of your adventures! Xo
Happy 10 years!!
I’ve been following along almost daily since 2009 and it’s been incredible to watch you grow and evolve 🙂
Cheers! <3
I also started following around 2008 when I was still in high school. I remember saving up to buy that red velvet skeleton glow in the dark tee!! I still have it (but you should totally bring it back so I can have more). I also remember the legit sadness I felt when the dress line launched but I was at school and by the time I got home, everything was sold out haha. Thank you so much for sharing your lives with us! It makes me so happy to see how all of this has blossomed. Looking forward to what you ladies have in store!
Congratulations! I’ve been a fan for longer than your blog has been around. I think I have an autographed copy of your scrapbooking book, and I took one of your scrapbooking classes waaaaaaaay back in the day. And I’m here in Nashville, too. Looking forward to another 10 years of creative inspiration!
Hey you two,
As your huge fanbase and the amount of comments show there are many celebrating with you and many, as myself, that have followed your blog for what feels eterneties(around 2008/2009) . I somehow feel like I’ve seen you grow up and kind of have been with you growing somehow along the way.
I just want to use this chance to wish you all the best and thank you for your endless energy and love for life and for transmitting it all to us.
May the next ten keep surprising you and us mess addicts
Hugs
Zika
Elsie + Emma,
I have been reading since the beginning! I found you at a pivotal {end of high school} time of my life and looking through these old photos and memories is like coming home. You girls have inspired me {and continue to do so!} each time I stop by to read. When talking to my husband I always refer to you girls as my “imaginary friends” since I truly feel a friendship has been created via this place called ABM. Wishing you the *very* best in the years ahead and PLEASE never stop writing. <3
-Megan
Happy Birthday to my favorite blog!!! I’ve been reading since 2011 and hope to have you all around for years to come! Seriously love you all! And one of these days I will make it out to the Golden Girl ?
What a great 10 year recap!! I’ve been following ABM since 2008/2009 (when I was 12 or 13, whoa! 21 now) and you guys have been a great positive influence as I went through my teens–having all you red velvet ladies as online “older sister”-type role models gave me confidence to do my own thing and cultivate a creative life! Thanks for being awesome, cheers to the next 10 years 🙂
I’ve been reading since 2010 (my junior year of high school – GEEZ!). You guys continue to inspire me in so many ways. If I’m feeling like I’m hitting a wall creatively, I know I can always pop on over to your site and get refreshing, authentic content.
LOVE this site and the huge role it’s played in my life over the years. Keep it up!
Awesome “birth” date for a blog (July 6th happens to be my birthday) 😉 I stumbled across your blog around 2013 I think, maybe end of 2012. I remember reading about Emma’s beautiful wedding. Love the success you’ve both had since and hope you have many more. Congrats on 10 years!
Congrats on 10 years, wow! I’ve been reading and following along since around 2010. You’ve always been my favourite! The post that really got me hooked and I went back to read over and over again was Elsie’s wedding – so beautiful and taught me how DIY adds that personal touch. So inspiring how you’re really living your dream. Looking forward to what’s next!
Girls, your blog has been my absolute favorite since 2011 when I started reading. I have always felt that ABM is such a fun, no pressure place to come for inspiration. Thank you for keeping it lighthearted but real, inventive but attainable, and for being yourselves the whole time. I am truly so happy for your success and really excited to see what comes next! Xoxo
Actually was reading your old blog before this blog. I found you through a srapbooking magazine (yes, a real magazine!). You had a unique style unlike any scrapbooker I had ever seen. I have loved watching your transformation and continuous unique style in everything you’ve done. Congrats! xoxo
Congrats on a decade! That’s so awesome! It was also convenient to see how long I’ve been reading – 5 years consistently! Thanks for being there for me online for so long.
Thanks for a great ten years! I look forward to getting home from work and reading new posts. Always a highlight of my day. Cheers to ten more years!
My sister and I started following A Beautiful Mess when I was a junior in high school and she was a 7th grader (So probably 2010ish?). It’s amazing to look back with you guys and see how much has changed. ABM has been such an inspiration to us over the past 7 years and continues to be! It’s pretty cool to see sisters working together and making wonderful things happen, and my sister and I, now 23 and 20, hope we can one day own a business together too. ? So thank you for creating really fun content and for consistently inspiring us! Keep up the incredible work; we’re looking forward to the next 10 years of A Beautiful Mess ☺️
I can’t describe to you all how much you have influenced my life! I’ve been reading since 2012. Ive read other blogs but nothing compares! Almost every day you’ve inspired me to live a life inspired! Please don’t ever stop! Blessings, Sarah
I’ve been reading yalls blog since 2008. I still remember when my friend Jess told me about “this amazing blog by a cool girl named Elsie”. There have been so many times over the years that I’ve come here for creative inspiration and I’ve even kinda lived vicariously through yall (owning my own shop is a one day dream for me).
Thank you for always being so open and sharing!
This post is one of my favorites- y’all have grown and changed so much and it’s been fun reading while it’s all happened. (And I’m really sorry if that sounded creepy, lol).
Congratulations! I’ve been reading since 2009, I think and this is the blog I must read every day!! Looking forward to seeing what the future holds for ABM.
Totally remember both your weddings! Love how colorful and unique they were! You guys have the magic touch. 🙂 I can’t wait to see what you do next.
What a nice little nostalgia trip!
It’s easy to forget that I’ve been reading since 2010!
Well done, you and your team should all be so proud. You’re an inspiration for a creative-turned-business gal like myself <3
You guys are so inspiring! 🙂
Its great!! Congratulation!
Happy 10 years!! This post has been so wonderful to read; I’ve been a follower from the beginning (I lived in Springfield til 2008!) and the walk down memory lane has has been so inspiring. It’s encouraging to see how you’ve all taken risks and stayed true to your voice and creativity, being authentic about both success and failure and hope in the process. Cheers to many more years of very beautiful messes!
Happy 10 years !!!
I’m so happy for you and really excited to follow your news adventures !
Love from France !
Congrats, guys, I’ve been following your blog since the beginning probably and you’ve come such a long way! You’re such an inspiration!
I’ve been a reader for several years now and while I rarely comment, I just wanted to let you know that I absolute LOVE your blog & social media accounts. You are doing a stellar job and I enjoy coming back every day to see how you guys are doing. 🙂 Thank you for all your hard and wonderful work and CONGRATULATIONS on 10 years!!!
I’m reading you since the beginning too! I can’t believe it’s already 10 years!
Wishing you more tens to come!
OMG, I wasn’t aware of how long I’ve been following you guys! More than 7 years o_O
Congrats on everything you’ve accomplished, it is quite inspirational.
Best!
Sabela
Congratulations! Here’s to another 10, right? 🙂
Happy 10th!
Enjoyed reading every single word. Although I long-time reader, had fun going back to re-read some of the posts:)
I have been following this blog since 2009 and always have felt inspired and loved reading your posts and ideas. Y’all are so creative and something that has always brought me back that you are not afraid to try different things or branch out. I have loved seeing all the different series of posts you have done over the years and look forward to many more, Congrats on 10 years!!
Not going to lie, I think my favorite photo is Suki in that hat, lol
I’ve been following along since Elsie had bright pink bubblegum hair. I want to say that was November or December of 2009/2010! I’ve loved following along through all the different stages of your blog/biz! Can’t wait to continue following y’all!
This is so great, thank you for putting this together! I’ve often wondered how long I’ve been reading your blog because it feels like forever, and based on this post I think I started late 2008 or early 2009. I remember when you opened your first store and I wanted to visit it SO BADLY but I was a high schooler in PA so I was pretty sure that would never happen…then I actually moved to KCMO for four years and I thought for sure I would make it to Springfield at some point and visit your second store, but I never did and you guys started transitioning away from that. And then Elsie moved to Nashville which is where my mom lives, so it still feels like our lives are in sync a little, haha! It’s been so cool to watch you grow and change and be a part of all of it in a small way…I won a giveaway once (thank you!), I’ve made several recipes, and I use ACS all the time! I know I will keep reading as long as you keep posting, thank you for all the inspiration all these years!
Congratulations, 10 years is an amazing accomplishment. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
I’ve been here since nearly the beginning and I love it. I’ve learned so many things from you guys. I can’t help but think how your parents must sit back grinning like fools at how well you two are doing.
Oh, and yes please on the skeleton shirt.
I honestly hadn’t realized how long (2008) I’ve been following your blog until this! It’s been amazing watching it develop and grow all these years. I have a few of your panda girl prints still hanging on my walls. Thanks for keeping us along for your journeys and excited for all the years to come.
And YES on the skeleton shirt. I still regret not snagging it.
Hello! 🙂 Congrats on 10 years! I’ve been reading since some time in 2007. I remember almost every launch & every new product. I discovered Elsie’s scrapbook line at a local scrapbook shop & then found the blog shortly after. You’ve been a major influence for me design wise & I’m so grateful for your constant inspiration & color you bring to the world! ? Here’s to 10 more inspired + beautiful years!
Oh man! It feels like most of this has happened yesterday! Especially 2014, I remember so much of what you shared that year! I’ve been following along at least since 2011 I think and have been visiting the blog almost every day. It’s kind of weird how close I feel to you guys, haha! I will be doing an exchange year at the University of Alabama starting in August (I’m orgininally from Germany) and I hope I’ll be able to maybe visit Springfield and the Golden Girl Rum Club. We’ll see.
Thanks for this post and your hard work. Keep on doing what you do, love you guys!
Congratulations 100 fold! I’m not so sure how long I’ve been around as an ABM follower/reader, but it was definitely close to the very beginning, back when I was following Elsie on Flickr!! Ah the good ol’ days! 🙂
So glad you’re one of the blogs that’s stuck around for so long – you’ve always had that extra something that would be sorely missed if you ever quit/gave up.
Here’s to another 10 years!
Congrats – what a fun look back! I found your blog while I was in college at the end of 2008. I immediately went to the beginning and “binge-read” everything and have been following along ever since. Elsie, I was so inspired by your art back then (and now) and ended up getting back into painting that year. Painting is now a huge part of my life – thank you! Thanks for blogging all these years and sharing your journey with us. You both are a constant inspiration. Here’s to 10 more!
Ps. For sure bring that skeleton shirt to Oui Fresh!
WOW!! I can’t believe it’s been ten years, Congratulations!! I remember you were my first blog I started reading. I can’t believe that was 8 years ago!!
Teared up reading some of this! What an incredible journey (so far) and what a pleasure to get to see it all. CONGRATS big time on your successes, such an inspiration xo
Wow congratulations on 10 years!! It was so fun to read about each year and what you achieved =o)
https://dreamofadventures.com/
You are doing something right when you can keep something going strong for 10 years! Congrats to the entire team! Thank you for 10 years of joy, creativity and inspiration!
Wow, I LOVE this look back on the last ten years! It is so interesting to see it all together in one place with reflections on each year, and to realize how… human it all is? Like to the casual observer, blogs are so effortlessly beautiful and always successful (even though you guys do a great job being real and human with us :)) so it’s cool to see how this professional side of your lives lines up with what is happening in your personal lives. I definitely got a little happy teary, haha. Thanks for sharing, and congrats!
I’ve been reading since 2009! You feel like family and I never miss a post! Love you guys!
Happy anniversary!! This might sound weird, but I cried at the end of this post! I have been reading since 2007 – when I was in high school – and your blog has meant so much to me!! It has been a constant inspiration for my creative soul and an a total boost of entrepreneurial girl power as I have started my career! I have loved seeing you all grow your business into what it is today! Thank you for doing what you do – it means so much to so many of us!
Thank you so much for sharing all of this, its really interesting to get a personal insight into what was going on and how you were feeling behind the scenes. Its incredible to see how quickly things changed popularity/financially wise and how you dealt with this. Particularly after it sounds like both of you had minimally paying jobs. I’ve been a reader since sometime in 2011/12 and it’s been so interesting to see how you’ve developed. I don’t read a lot of blogs anymore but I still keep coming back.
wow girls! happy anniversary!!! I was looking through the pictures trying to remember when I discovered you guys and it was definitely 2011, I saw Elsie’s handmade wedding article on etsy and was instantly intrigued! You guys have been so great about being transparent in difficult things, experiments and failures, I greatly appreciate that 🙂 along with the beautiful, engaging, and awesome content you create! To me you guys are really the industry standard on what a blog can be and grow into and it’s been amazing and inspiring to watch! Thanks for doing what you do because of you guys I am inspired to keep working on my own projects and goals 🙂 Wishing you all the best in the future!
Happy Anniversary!
I have been reading your blog since 2010! Time flies!
It has always been a motivation and inspiration for me!
Wow, I almost got a little teary eyed… So many memories, so many photos from way back that I still recognize. 🙂
ABM is one of the very few blogs that I always come back to. I hope you will stick around for many more years. I definitely will. <3
Wow! You guys have simply achieved so much it’s crazy! Congratulations on 10years! 🙂
I’ve been reading since 2008 (my senior year of high school!) and this post brought back really amazing memories for me. Your milestones were also a small part of my story, because I’ve been reading for so long. Thank you for that. Tears spring to my eyes every time I see the picture of the little mini Hunter boots, and I wanted to let you know that I am really rooting for you guys in this adoption process and I cannot wait for you to get to enjoy your baby girl. Love you girls!
Now, I’m one of probably quite a few people who realise that time has been racing … I had no idea I’d been reading this blog for so long!
Your creativity is amazing, and what I love most is when you totally surprise me. One of the best surprises was when you featured a workplace somewhere in Africa in your “At work with …” series, and another one was when you announced that you were giving a WHOLE HOUSE away.
Happy birthday!
Congratulations! I’ve been reading your wonderful blog since 2014 and it inspired me to start my own blog. I love everything you do and I want to thank you for that! I’m so looking forward to the next ten years of ABM! Thank you sooooo much for the inspiration, the fun and for being my favorite blog!
Ginger by Choice I Food & Lifestyle Blog
So proud of ya’ll! I enjoyed reading over your timeline and seeing the evolution of your company! By the looks of it, I discovered ABM in 2012 and have been a faithful reader ever since. I really liked the pics and a particular one from 2008 stood out. It’s the bottom left of the collage, a painted wooden doll/figure. I scanned the 2008 archives looking for it, but didn’t find it. Would you mind depositing the direct link below. Thanks to you and blessings to you guys in your future growth and success!!
Congratulations on 10 years! Hopefully I will be able to look back at my own blog in 2027 and be able to tell my own story in this way 🙂
Rebecca ♥
I discovered your blog in 2010! i was in my first job out of college – a boring sales assistant desk job, so I had a lot of free time and got really into reading your blog! It’s been so fun watching you grow and take on new endeavors! Thanks for putting good vibes into the internet ?
Such a fun recap! Happy birthday to you!! I have loved following you for at least 7 years, and I am looking forward to the 7 next 😉 You go girls!
I loved this post so much. I really enjoyed reading it and I am glad I got the chance to see how it all started for you guys. Time flew even if I discovered this site only in 2013. Keep up the good work, you are amazing! All the best from Romania 😀
Yay! What a wonderful post! I’ve been reading for the past two years and love your blog so much. It inspires me to take risks and to push my creativity! I’ve been blogging for a year now, and I can’t imagine hitting double digits! Happy Anniversary! So much to be proud of!
http://www.shessobright.com
Happy ten years! *pops confetti*
Wow! I’ve been reading since nearly the beginning. I remember wanting to buy so many of your paintings (especially this adorable dinosaur one) and dresses but was too busy being a poor college student.
I can’t believe how old some of these photos that I recognize are. I love that skeleton shirt and still have it somewhere. I think it even glowed in the dark. It’s so incredible how far this blog has come and how after all these years yours is really the only one I come back to and read every day. Cheers to the next 10, I can’t wait to see what’s in store!
OOOwwwn! I loved this post! It´s like I Know you from all this time I´ve been Reading the blog. To another happy 10 ten years!!
Congrats!!! I love your blog so much and I am so excited to continue to follow your journey!
I discovered your blog many years ago. I have seldom seen such bright, creative, young women creating so many and so beautiful things: from the blog, to the DIY everything, to the businesses. You never seem to stop or fear and I admire you for that. Keep it up!
Congrats on your ten years! I really love the blog as well! I love the variety and the happy and excited approach you take. Love the creativity!
With this being a post that’s been up some time, idk that you will see this comment but I absolutely love both pairs of clogs you gals are wearing! I know Elsie’s are Swedish Hasbeens, but the red clogs? Those are super cute as well! Love both of your styles!
🙂
Elsie, I worked at a little scrapbooking store when I was in High School and discovered your “52 Scrapbooking Challenges” book in 2006. I remember being super inspired that someone as young as you was already doing such amazing things! I have followed you ever since, and eventually, Emma too! You ladies continually amaze me with your fearlessness to follow your dreams. Congratulations on 10 + years of success. I look forward to another 10 years of inspiration.
Wow! You’ve been writing this blog for 10 years? That’s an awesome achievement. Congratulations!
What a fun reflection post!! Blogging is such a fun way to look back through time and remember what you were doing at certain points in your life. Cheers to the next 10 years!
This is such a fun post! I can’t work out how long I’ve been reading for! It was waaaay back when the title ‘A Beautiful Mess’ was cut out in little white letters and lying on the floor. Pre 2010?!!! And Red Velvet Art! I remember each time a new line came out. The dresses were always sold out before I had a chance to buy. Ah, such fond memories. So great that you’ve been going for so long. Here’s to the next 10 years huh?!
Much love from London,
Claire.x
Wow gals you have came a long way. I still remember when I visited your blog for the first time it was back in July last year and I was really drawn by your writing style. But never knew you’re about to celebrate 10 years of journey this soon. Really in love with your work. Best of luck for many more years to come. Cheers
WOW! Was poking around old posts on the site and found this wonderful post that I must have skipped over last year. I started reading your blog in 2009, when I was in high school, and it’s so crazy to read about your behind the scenes experiences during those first years. I remember reading your blog back then and thinking you had the coolest jobs– but didn’t even realize that at that time the blog was still something “for fun” for you guys! I’m now the same age you were when I started reading your blog, and I’m currently transitioning out of a career that I didn’t enjoy. It’s so inspiring to see all the hard work you have always put into this amazing blog and community, and it’s reassuring to know that even if a career flatlines (in regards to Emma’s acting), or feels like it might be dwindling (related to your earlier struggles), that there is still time to grab hold of what you love and make it into a full life that you love.
Thank you so much for being an inspiration for so many of us, and for continuing this beautiful website and business for all of us to share and enjoy!