You guys, I’m so excited to share that today marks Club Crafted’s 1st blogiversary!
It’s crazy how quickly this past year has flown by, and I couldn’t be happier about the progress I’ve made here in my little corner of the internet. Thank you so much for reading and sharing and supporting the work I create! My life has become crazy busy trying to run this brand in my free time, but it’s worth it when I see such kind comments here and on Instagram. I’ve come so far for just one year, and I can’t wait to make some big plans for the future of Club Crafted. Naturally, I baked a cake to celebrate because Club Crafted is my baby and therefore deserves a cake for its birthday.
You may not know this tidbit about Club Crafted: I actually started this website with the intention of creating a craft subscription box business. Andrew and I had talked about starting a subscription box for months when I suddenly decided to just take the plunge and start my website and do some research, and I ultimately decided that I wanted to grow Club Crafted as a blog brand before expanding to sell products. It quickly became my number one hobby, though now it is 100% a job.
To kick off the blog on June 7, 2016, I shared this roundup of pretty clay DIYs, and I went on to share weekly DIY tutorials for a few weeks before ramping up to the posts that I create today.
I do hope to sell products one day, maybe as soon as this summer! I’ve spent a lot of time brainstorming ideas, doing research and creating mockups trying to decide the direction that I want to take. It’s a big decision and a big commitment, but it’s one that I’m really excited to make.
OK, now I want to brag just a bit, so bear with me.
A few amazing and notable things that happened in my first year of blogging:
- I expanded my freelance work to more websites and now write consistently for Curbly, Momtastic, RecipeChatter, Mod Podge Rocks and others
- A project I shared on an old blog was featured in Relish magazine (my first print feature!)
- One of my DIYs was featured in Australian magazine Homespun
- Two of my recipes were included in Buzzfeed roundups, which just about killed me
- I received my first paid sponsorship and quickly developed others, having now worked with brands that I love and support, like Excel Blades, Coca-Cola, International Delight, Oriental Trading, Mixbook, Minted and more
- I made friends through Instagram and my first blogging conference, Alt Summit
- An IKEA hack of mine was featured on Apartment Therapy, which just about killed me AGAIN
- I managed to double my web traffic month-over-month during a 6-month period
- I grew my Instagram audience to a number I never thought was possible, currently standing at over 1,700
These were all HUGE accomplishments for me, and I look forward to making many more through Club Crafted and my personal freelancing work. It’s been a whirlwind of a year learning to use design programs, practicing my photography and practically living on social media to make connections. I wouldn’t trade it for anything though.
Thank you all for following along on this crazy journey with me! I look forward to another fun and colorful year of posts.
Now, I’m off to celebrate with a quick trip to Portland!