Another year in the books. Was it our best year? Depends what we are defining as the best. Wasn’t the best holiday season (Darn you Covid). Wasn’t the best for travel (Darn you Covid). BUT a lot of firsts and a lot of greats came out of this year. It’s not till you sit down and reflect back that you can really see the big picture of an entire year. So let’s all take a look at the best of 2021 for HOLB. A recap of the best blog posts, your favorite fashion buys, favorite retailers and personal moments of the year.
TOP 10 BLOG POSTS OF 2020
#1 | MY HONEST REVEIW OF GOLDEN GOOSE SNEAKERS – And it was #1 by a landslide. Funny when I was writing this post my Mom was like is anyone really going to be interested in hearing this?! Told ya Mom! This post alone brings in a ton of traffic daily to HOLB. Answers all your burning questions about whether the cult favorite Golden Goose are really worth it. Just bought my second pair for Christmas by the way. Linking them here.
#2 | THE GROVE RESORT ORLANDO REVIEW – I wrote this one after our December 2019 trip to Disney and it’s still trending! See a recap of our most recent Disney trip from July here.
#3 | MASTER BEDROOM REFRESH WITH RAYMOUR & FLANIGAN – Another oldie but goodie that still brings in a ton of traffic.
#4 | OUTFIT IDEAS FOR DISNEY WORLD – Kinda funny that this post made the best of 2021 and not the trip recap LOL. Guess everyone really needs ideas for what to wear to the happiest place on earth!
#5 | DIY CLOSET ROOM MAKEOVER – Erik still reminds me on a daily basis to thank him for the amazing closet room he made me. Might not have a guest room in our house anymore but this girl got the closet of her dreams.
#6 | THE TOP TRENDING SNEAKERS AT EVERY PRICE – Another sneaker post that made the best of 2021. This one was great because it covered a ton of my favorite styles at every price point.
#7 | EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MERMAID HAIR EXTENSIONS – Still got my extensions in but I did chop the length tremendously this past month! Love having extensions with shorter hair. Adds so much volume. Getting my 3rd set of extensions this coming March!
#8 | THE BENEFITS OF FACIAL AESTHETICS IN YOUR 60’S – I love my mama’s results from facial aesthetics. Great recap here on why facial aesthetics are beneficial at any age. And self reminder that it’s time for me to get a touch up!
#9 | HOME MAKEOVER USING CHANTILLY LACE PAINT – This is another one that keeps trending. I hear ya. You guys like sneakers and home posts LOL! And here I am posting fashion all day haha!
#10 | SHOPRITE 5: WHAT TO BUY AT SHOPRITE THIS MONTH – Always love scouting the aisles at ShopRite for new grocery staples. This is a fun post recapping some of my favorites (and Summer’s too)!
THE TOP 10 FASHION BUYS
THE #1 MOST PURCHASED ITEM ON HOLB in 2021: THE TARGET JUMPSUIT!
Used that SAME EXACT caption on last year’s #1 fashion buy. 2 years in a row a Target jumpsuit made my top selling spot. Last year it was a gray one and this year it was this green one. Wrinkled and all LOL. See Mom? My girls can see past the wrinkles. Sadly it’s sold out but new styles in just a few short months I’m sure!
And the remaining 9 favorite fashion buys to make the best of 2021 are all above!
TOP ROW: GAUZE TOP (similar in stock) | CREWNECK SWEATER | PLAID FLANNEL
MIDDLE ROW: CARDIGAN | VARLEY LEGGINGS | MIDI EAST WEST BAG (code TAMMY20 for 20% off)
BOTTOM ROW: T NECKLACE (code TAMMY30 for 30% off) | LEOPARD SWIMSUIT | CHENILLE TURTLENECK
Shoes are always big sellers around here. Hard to narrow down the best of 2021 but these are this year’s top 5!
TOP ROW: INDIGO RD BOOTS | IVANTE SANDALS | P448 HIGH TOPS
BOTTOM ROW: SOREL BOOTS | TARGET BOOTS
And honestly the jeans needed their own top 5 because a ton of great denim was scooped up on HOLB this year. A great mix of premium and budget denim was loved by all of you. Gotta just say that the Madewell denim (top row/2nd pic) made top sellers in just a 2 week span! Almost every pair above is on sale too!
TOP ROW: LEVI’S 501 CROP | MADEWELL DENIM (code BYE2021 for 30% off) | 7 FOR ALL MANKIND
BOTTOM ROW: EXPRESS JEANS | AGOLDE RILEY
THE TOP 10 BEST OF 2021 FAVORITE RETAILERS
Not much has changed around here. You all still love the same retailers I’ve been showing for years but a few new ones did make the cut this year!
#1 AMAZON – See my last haul here.
#2 TARGET – Came in right behind Amazon. See my last Target haul here.
#3 NORDSTROM – You all voted in my stories you want to see more Nordstrom. Thinking of incorporating in a monthly haul from them in 2022!
#4 EVEREVE – Pretty sure those monthly Evereve wardrobe capsules helped you all fall in love with this favorite brand of mine. Excited that these monthly try ons will continue into 2022! See my last try on here.
#5 AMERICAN EAGLE – Catch my last haul here.
#6 DSW – Always a fav around here for affordable on trend shoe finds.
#7 EXPRESS – My last haul here.
#10 SOCIAL THREADS
THE BEST OF 2021 PERSONAL MOMENTS
Can you believe 2022 will begin year 5 of HOLB?! It was right after New Year’s 2017 that I started the web design and planning stages of this blog. This past year I was starting to feel a bit uninspired and overworked. Happens with any job. Didn’t mean I was falling out of love with blogging I just was looking for a new spark to add something new around here. It’s funny because just when I think things might be getting stale or things are slowing down I get a knock or two or three at my door and then BAM I’m out the door running after new opportunities which all helped lead me to a great year.
One of the best opportunities to come knocking at my door in 2021 was the chance to join Amazon Live. To be honest I was like NO ABSOLUTELY NOT at first. Be live on camera and share 15 to 20 new items in every episode?! Heck no. But if there is one thing I’ve learned in my 5 years of blogging is you have to 100% push yourself out of your comfort zone. This industry changes every single day and it changes fast! So I researched, studied and got my kick butt husband to help me out and together we created this dynamite channel on Amazon that has reached huge success in just 4 short months.
Granted we invested a ton into our equipment and we devote countless hours into the creation of what you see live. But we stayed the course and did exactly what I’ve done from day 1 of launching HOLB — we invested, made it professional, set goals and my friends — WE CRUSHED THOSE GOALS! It’s been the biggest opportunity presented to us but it was up to us to make it a success. Full steam ahead in 2022 with Amazon Live. This was just the spark we needed and together Erik and I are loving it. He really is awesome my husband. I would never be able to seize these opportunities without him.
This moment right here goes down as one of the best of 2021 and one of the best in HOLB history. Being on this press trip for Disney World and being able to experience the parks before opening was just as surreal as it gets. See my full trip recap here.
Going away on the ShopRite LPGA Classic and being able to bring Erik and Summer was truly such a memorable trip. Always so much love for ShopRite. They are a brand that has become part of our family. So grateful for the chance to continuously be able to work with them over the past 2 years.
Summer made her First Holy Communion. Couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful, blessed day!
And my girl was awarded the Pure Artistry Powerhouse Award at her dance company banquet. She has had to overcome so much since November 2020 when she had surgery shortly after her diagnosis. More on that here if you missed it. But persevere and never give up is something this kid does every single day. Dance on girlfriend.
Oh and how can we forget? I organized my pantry this year AND people — IT’S STILL ORGANIZED! Planning some organization tips on Tuesday’s Amazon Live! See my pantry makeover here.
As I head into 2022 with my new shorter hair I’m ready to go full steam ahead. The new year signifies change, a restart and a refresh. Excited to see what the new year will bring. No matter what it is I’m ready to go after it. Have things changed? Yes. Have things been challenging? Yes.
It’s funny but I mentioned in my Merry Christmas post that this was the year I felt most connected to all of you. While Instagram engagement is at an all time low I feel like that is such an irrelevant metric in measuring how connected you are with those who follow you. Seeing how many of you tune into my Amazon Lives, send me a dm and email on a daily basis, buy from my links and blog traffic — those all indicate the growth I’ve had this year. Each year has been more successful than the previous one but this one by far was the best and the momentum really kicked in during the last quarter which just drives me even faster and stronger into the New Year.
Thank you my friends for another great year of running HOLB. Year 5 begins and my heart is full. This just sums up the best of 2021 but truly there were so many other small moments that helped to create bigger moments. Thanks for being a part of them. Thanks for making them all possible. Happy New Year. Wishing you all success, good health and happiness in 2022!
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