Favorite Posts of 2015

2015 has been crazy jam packed. I seriously outdid myself and I'm very happy with the progress I've made as a blogger, professionally, and most importantly as a mom and wife.

This time last year I was on mat leave with my 6 month old, just starting to introduce solid foods, still breastfeeding while trying to potty train a 2.5 year old. I still had no idea where I wanted to go with my blog and I was worried about going back to a job where I didn't feel valued or appreciated.

Since then, I've returned to work to a new team that I love and respect, had to get readjusted and organized with a new full time work schedule with kids (I miss them so much all the time it's hard for my little heart!), I've also dealt with loss, weaned off breastfeeding and finally took the first step in turning my blog into a business by creating this styled photography course for bloggers and creatives (which is on pre-sale right now, launching Feb 1st!).

Now for the fun part! Let's have a look at some of the most popular posts of 2015 and some of my own favorites (you can also check out my most popular posts of 2014 here).

---

DIY: Clay Animal Head Succulent Planter

Isn't this planter the cutest thing you've ever seen? I've been playing around with a whole bunch of different mediums this year and plan to keep experimenting this year too: felt, clay, watercolor, hand lettering, crochet, sewing... there's just so much to do and so little time to do it all in! This planter was definitely my most favorite project of 2015 and I plan on sharing more adorable little things like this with you in the near future!

How to do hand lettering, the easy way

Hand lettering has been reborn this year it seems. It's become this new "cool thing" everyone must try. I'm definitely having fun with it (I even made a quick tutorial and video of my process for you!), and now that I know how to digitalize my creations, I plan on selling some of my hand made prints as downloads. I'm super excited about this new venture, but first, I need to finish launching my blog photography course.

Must-Have Photography Kit for Bloggers

I've had a lot of questions about the gear I use and how I take my blog photos over the years so I've started sharing some tips and tricks on blog and small biz photography. If there's any question you'd like me to address leave a comment below, you can also check out this free photography course I made just for you guys!

6 Simple Ways to Get Serious About Blogging

This post was pretty much a hint as to where I'm heading in 2016. I really want to get serious about my blog. What do I mean by that? I want to create a live and thriving community, I want to make more friends and a strong support system. I also want to make more money from my passion (because, hey, who doesn't?). I have so many things planned, like info products, worksheets, guides, free stock photos and a whole bunch of other things, maybe even physical products! Are you ready to get serious with your blog? Is there anything you'd like me to share with you?

Sweet Coconut Lemonade

This drink was one of my summer favorites. Coconut and lemon sounds weird doesn't it? Strangely though, it's crazy delicious. If you haven't tried it already, I dare you too. Try it! I want to know what you think. This drink is packed with nutrients, vitamins and essential minerals. It's an awesome thirst quencher and energy drink too!

Apple upside-down egg free cake recipe

In 2014 we started an apple picking tradition and I really wanted to keep that going in 2015. It makes for an awesome day of picking apples, eating fresh corn at the farm, riding tractors and baking yummy apple pies. This year I wanted to mix things up so I also made tons of apple puree and this delicious (and now famous) apple upside-down cake with NO eggs (for those with egg allergies like my son!).

DIY: Sugar skull candy bowl

Since I got a lot of comments on my Halloween apothecary in 2014. I wanted to do something super cute and original again in 2015 so when I saw this boring skull at the craft store, I was like BOOM! found my idea! The previous year I had dressed up as a "day of the dead" sugar skull girl and I loved it so much I wanted to recreate it as a decor item; which ended up serving as a candy bowl. Don't you just love when things have 2 purposes?

The ultimate Easter egg hunt

This year, my oldest turned 3 and it's been so much fun creating new games and activities during the holidays. When Easter came around, I knew I wanted to do a chocolate hunt, but I didn't want to just do the hide and seek game, I wanted something a bit more involved. So I created this ultimate Easter egg hunt. It's super fun, there's eggs just like that, there's plastic eggs with nothing in them, and there's eggs with little notes in them. So much more interesting, especially when there's older kids around (ahem *cough* adults).

12 easy steps to a tantrum free home (toddler edition)

In my role as a mother, I've noticed that I have quite an nontraditional approach to motherhood and parenting. Both my pregnancies and deliveries were completely natural and unmedicated, I exclusively breastfed both of my babies and made all of their purees at home, and I adopt a positive parenting attitude (read: punishment, consequences and privileges do not exist in my world). I really want to share more of my journey because I truly believe there is no reason to be so harsh with children, or to be scared about all the choices and responsibilities that come with being a mother. 12 easy steps to a tantrum free home is one article of many more to come about how to guide children positively through life.

A guide to recognizing food allergies for moms

Lastly, since my egg free vanilla cupcake recipe is so popular (like, it has literally gone viral - it's the post that brings the most traffic to this blog), I decided to add an egg allergy guide download to my post and see how many people are actually interested in that... and you know what? I get so many downloads every day! So much that I actually think it would be profitable to write an ebook or a course. Would that be something you'd like to see? In the meantime though, you can check out my guide to recognizing food allergies for moms.

So that's about it. Those are the most popular posts of 2015 with some of my favorites sprinkled in. Which one is your favorite?

Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015

Happy new year! May 2015 bring you joy, love and most importantly, health. I want to thank all of you. I love being able to share my adventures and it always makes me so happy to read all of your comments.

Isn't it crazy how quickly time flies by? It seems like only yesterday I was putting away all the Christmas decorations and here I am again... Craaaazy I tell you.

2014 was an awesome year. At work, I had the chance of learning new skills as part of an amazing new team. I am so thankful for having the opportunity to meet them and work with them. I also started organizing my blog a bit more, which I'm very excited about. I still haven't reached my goal, or figured it all out yet, but I'm on the right track. Most importantly though, I gave birth to our second boy. He is an absolute joy to be around. He is always smiling and cuddly.

I've been enjoying decorating my home. Everything has been such a blur since we purchased our first house that I really haven't had a chance until now. We repainted the bedrooms and made a cloud stencil wall in our son's bedroom. I also made a super cute decorative cork mobile and a geometric embroidered painting to put in his room. I have a lot more of those kinds of projects lined up for 2015 so stay tuned!

I've also developed a new love for nail polish. It's a fun thing to do to relax, and doesn't take much time if you have the right tools. Some of my favorite nail art designs from this year are my gold and white leopard nail art, bare daisies nail art and square nail art. I have so many ideas for the new year, and am super excited to try new techniques.

I've also been busy in the kitchen. After finding out that my son is allergic to eggs, I made it a point to cook everything at home so that he wouldn't miss out on anything. From fancy desserts to delicious snack and meals. Some of my favorite recipes from this year are my 5 minute homemade chocolate pudding, the egg free vanilla cupcakes and these easy cucumber cream cheese bites.

I also shared some random seasonal projects like this Halloween apothecary and this acorn mobile. I also started making homemade beauty and skincare products like this homemade natural lip balm and I plan on making more this year so stay tuned!

“What are some of your highlights of 2014?”

xfallenmoon - Where Does the Name Come From?

I don't think I've ever explained where the name xFallenmoon comes from and I thought you might find it interesting to know. It is the union of two original characters I created to represent my personality; Moonlight Goddess and Fallen Angel.

Moonlight Goddess

is my naive, kind, truthful, gentle, caring, elegant, happy, calm, pure side.

Her long dark hair flows in the breeze of dusk and her glowing turquoise eyes hint purity. Her simple, white sleeveless gown embraces the delicate curves of her fragile and pale body. Barefooted, she moves with grace and elegance through the woods of existence.

Within the darkness, she is the light: «Think of me, I am right there with you.» Watching over each of us, she stands strong, in the depth of night. With a gentle stroke of her hand, she soothes lost and broken hearts. She holds the key of truth: «Shoot for the Moon, and if you miss, you still land in the stars.» Naive and kind, she trusts blindly. She, is the Moon.

Fallen Angel

is my wild, passionate, mysterious, spontaneous, daring, dominant, dark side.

Screaming in excruciating pain, she falls to the floor. A single tear drips along her cheek as her white wings fade and her black wings reappear. Forever imprisoned by golden shackles, the glow of her turquoise eyes vanishes. Her long dark hair clashes against her cold and pale skin.

As light is engulfed by darkness, the Moon falls. Dark passion leads her on, as she burns and dominates the night. «The music, flows through my blood. Touch me, and feel my energy.» Lost in a wild and mysterious storm, she confronts the challenge of life. «Happiness is wanting what you have, not having what you want.» The Moon, has Fallen.

Fallenmoon is both original characters merged into one; the light in the darkness. The name later became xFallenmoon to add a touch of originality.

Credit: Art by Glyphy.

.