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Yearly Recap

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Do you know what I couldn’t have predicted in a million years when I was thinking through the potential roadblocks for hitting my goals last year when working on my 2020 blogging plans? A global pandemic.

TL;DR: This year had me down and out, but I’m excited to be back blogging again. I have a list of things I plan on sharing including some home projects and Covid-safe celebrations. I’d love to know what YOU wish to see in my upcoming posts… cause, after all, this blog is for you! Please take a moment to fill out this SUPER short form to let me know what you want to see!

It has been nearly a year since my last post. I stopped posting around March 16th which was a week after lockdown began for me. At the time I even hired a few people who had lost their jobs due to the lockdown with full intentions of continuing my work here. Thing is… my day job is in healthcare.

These rolling 12 months have been some of the hardest working months of my life. Harder than 4 jobs and full-time college courses. Harder than changing careers. Harder than going back after having a baby. And, me… I had it good compared to others in my field.

After sometimes 70 hours of looking at computers for my day job—often dealing with things like Covid restrictions, angry online commenters, fear for coworkers, etc.—the idea of looking at a computer for my own work felt almost impossible. But, even when I got around the gumption to open my laptop I’d sit there and stare at a screen not knowing what to write.

This year it felt like work to celebrate.

This blog has always been a space about celebration in one way or another. Even though I knew people would want to have ways to celebrate safely, things to cook for a family, ways to connect over the internet… I knew that those would be good and appropriate things to write about. I just couldn’t celebrate.

Finally though, finally I see a bit of light at the end of this long tunnel. I don’t know what my head will do with this year and how it will translate in this blog. For now though, I thought I’d share a few highlights from the year that I hope to share in more detail over the next few months.

Coming Soon: Home Projects

Being at home and unable to stare at a computer any more than I already was… I did a lot of home improvement projects! We made improvements in several spaces this year and I am proud of our DIY spirit and the overall results. Recent home projects include:

Shared Kids Bedroom

shared kids bedroom with mural

Front Door Update

painted front door

Family Room/ Multipurpose Room

yellow painted playroom with desk area

Home Gym

home gym

Coming Soon: My Society 6 Shop

I’ve been using art as a coping mechanism my entire life. This year it has become essential. I’ve started putting some of my recent designs into a Society6 shop and am working on a few more fun projects. The Society6 Shop is live, but I plan on sharing more of my work this year.

society6 shop screenshot
Jenni Bost’s Society6 Shop

Coming Soon: Food and Cocktails

Girl’s gotta eat. With the entire family home all day, every day I have for sure been cooking up a storm of recipes. From seasonal drinks to weeknight eats, I plan to share my favorites.

gin and curacao cocktail with peaches

Coming Soon: Tips for Safe Celebrations

While there is light at the end of the tunnel we are looking at possibly years of needing to be safer in our celebrations. Even when the world goes back to normal I hope that some things like Zoom parties stay around occasionally so that we can celebrate with people that are too far to get together in person. This year we did zoom parties for birthdays and (when it was allowed) very small outdoor, socially distanced get togethers with friends.

individually wrapped snacks and beverages
lego cake in a cup and kazoo

While there is plenty to share, I really don’t want to share things unless it will be of use and interest to you! So, please take just a moment to fill out this very short form as to what you’d like to see out of A Well Crafted Party in 2021!

Thank you… and, here is to a better 12 months than the last!

I typically end each year taking the time to review the year and sort of giving myself a recap of the highs of the year so that I’ll end the year in a hopeful mood. Looking back on my favorite parties has always been a great way for me to look back.  I had a very difficult time doing that this year. If you’ve been following my blog for long, you’ve might have noticed a drop off in posts over this past year. I’ve had a lot of health and life stress issues that have made it difficult to write about entertaining and such things. I do try to live by the mission of this blog even if I fail to share it… I truly believe in celebrating life even at its hardest.

Though my blog doesn’t quite reflect it over 2017, I hosted or attended a TON of baby showers, weddings, anniversary parties, dinner parties, birthdays, and holiday celebrations in 2017. Some of them I didn’t even take my camera out for one photo of the decor, menu, paper goods, etc. While the blogger in me is a little sad… I know that I didn’t take photos because I was truly enjoying myself (or just too darn busy to pull out the camera!)

Before I get too far into 2018 I wanted to share some of my favorite parties (that I hosted) of 2017. Most of these I haven’t even posted about… but, don’t worry, the posts will come soon!

The Best Well Crafted Parties of 2017

School Valentine's Day Party | A Well Crafted Party

School Valentine’s Day Love Bug Party

I don’t have a ton of time to volunteer at my son’s school due to my full-time and part-time jobs. However, when they asked for a volunteer to help coordinate their three class parties of the year my hand shot up pretty quickly. I could commit to three events! For Valentine’s Day we celebrated with a Love Bug party. This was one of the cutest parties I’ve ever hosted. It was pretty much a full evening of crafting, but it turned out to be such a fun hour with the kiddos.

Want more? I’ll be sharing tips on hosting a school Valentine’s Day party at the end of this month!

Green and White Baby Shower | A Well Crafted Party

Green and White Baby Shower

My friend Lindsay is one of those giving, caring friends that seems to just know the exact moment when you need her to reach out. I was fortunate enough to get to co-host a baby shower to celebrate Lindsay’s third child this year. She is vegan and natural and beautiful so we wanted to reflect that in the theme, decor, and food for this party. In addition to a delicious array of vegan brunch foods we were able to build our own terrariums that doubled as an activity and party favor.

Want more? Visit one of the following links: Natural Elements Baby Shower, Vegan Cheese Board Ideas, Succulent Themed Baby Shower, DIY Avocado Toast Bar , and Build Your Own Succulent Terrarium Party Activity + Free Printables

Crab Boil 4th of July Party | A Well Crafted Party

Crab Boil 4th of July Party

There are a few events that I host yearly. I am a sucker for a good tradition. One of our traditions is to do a Crab Boil for 4th of July. Crab legs, shrimp, clams, potatoes, onions, lemons, and sausages are loaded up on a table for all to eat. We traditionally throw all of the food onto the paper covered table and eat with our hands. The crab ended up staying on our serving platter this year just because we thought it looked pretty! Ha.

Want more? Check out my Pinterest board for Crab Boil Party Ideas.

 

Nexo Knight 6th Birthday | A Well Crafted Party

Nexo Knight Themed 6th Birthday Party

I never thought in my wildest dreams that I’d be putting children’s parties on my top parties of the year. Guess that goes to show you how much parenthood can change you. My oldest son turned six this year and I have to say that he rivals me in my love for parties. He helped plan and develop his Nexo Knight themed birthday party. Guests helped create their own shields and swords before a hearty dinner and Knight training.

Want more? I’ll be sharing more from this party in the very near future! In the meantime, check out my Nexo Knight Pinterest Board.

Queen Baby Shower | A Well Crafted Blog

A Queen Themed Baby Shower

After having two boys my friend Yvonne had a baby girl! As a mamma of two wonderful boys myself, I could imagine how excited she must have been to give her boys a baby sister. Because her last name is King I thought we should do a baby shower fit for a queen! The shower was a lunchtime soiree with a color scheme of pink, peach, green, and mint. I had so much fun putting in crown details along with florals and balloons.

Want more? I’ll be sharing a post about this party next week!

Tiki Party | A Well Crafted Party

Tiki Birthday Party

I love a good tiki bar so when a friend was having a Tiki Birthday Party for her husband I asked if I could take care of the cocktails. I three tasty cocktails to be served on a large bed of ice. Tiki drinks are just as much about their cups and garnish as they are about big fruity flavors. I had so much fun coming up with the right style of drinks. To complete the look I also mimicked Tiki menus by drawing pictures of the beverages with their menu description.

Want more? These drinks will be coming to the blog as summer approaches. In the meantime, check out this delicious Triple Tiki Rum Punch from A Beautiful Mess.

Colorful 2nd Birthday Party | A Well Crafted Party

A Colorful 2nd Birthday Party

My second son turned two this year and I loved how easy and fun his party turned out to be! He loves drawing and coloring… mostly with markers, but it can seriously pacify him for some time. His birthday was all about his colorful personality and his love for color. We papered the house and put crayons, colored pencils, and markers everywhere so guests could draw and color any place that they chose to be. Sometimes even the simplest of parties can become a favorite!

Want more? I’ll be sharing this party on the blog soon!

What was your favorite event or celebration of 2017? Share with me in the comments below or on social media!

 

One of my favorite things to do every year is to sit down and recap my year and think about how I am going to go forward. I gotta say… finding my life/work/blog balance has been hard this year. I didn’t get to all my plans for the year and certainly didn’t blog as consistently in the past. However, I am very proud of some of the content I created this year! I also did see about a 7.5% growth in my blog and that makes me feel like I am at least on the right track even if the growth was slower than I had hoped.

All in all the most popular posts for A Well Crafted Party are about cocktails or blogging. Parties and Parenting posts come in right behind.

The top five posts of the year on A Well Crafted Party:

2016 Blog Planner Announcement was the top post of 2016! The 2017 planner is coming soon!

Top Post Published in 2016: 2016 Blog Planner

2016 Blog Planner has been my most popular post that was published in 2016. Of course, the 2017 planner will be out before the end of 2016 so stay tuned!

My working moms series was the second most view post of 2016 - A Well Crafted Party

Second Most Visited Post Published in 2016: Working Moms Series

Working Moms: Pharmacist, Pregnant Mother of One was second up. The whole Working Moms series was a favorite of mine this year and several of the posts came in as the top posts for the year.

These Red Vines cocktails and NA drinks were among the most popular posts on A Well Crafted Party

Third Most Visited Post Published in 2016: Red Vines Cocktail

Halloween Cocktail & NA Beverage with Red Vines— Evidently candy and cocktails go together!

Cute and Casual Style for Boys — A Well Crafted Party

Fourth Most Visited Post Published in 2016: Brother Style

Brother Style: Kid Casual Style— I can see why readers like this one… the boys are pretty cute together.

Best of A Well Crafted Party 2016: Blueberry Tangerine Cocktail

Fifth Most Visited Post Published in 2016: Blueberry Tangerine Cocktail

Saturday Spirits: Blueberry Tangerine Cocktail— Tastes like Summer!

 

Most viewed post in 2016 was actually a post written in 2015:

For the Love of Amaretto

Top Posts on A Well Crafted Party: Love of Amaretto

Best Blogger Moments in 2016:

Sometimes I am in absolutely awe that I get to have the job that I do. I never in a million years would have imagined this life for myself when planning my future. I will always be grateful for the experiences I’ve been able to enjoy as a blogger and for the stories I get to share with readers. My top moments of 2016 include:

Holiday Party Tips on KATU Afternoon Live - A Well Crafted Party

  1. Working Moms Series: Interviewing and sharing the stories of working moms. This series meant the most to me. I really can’t thank the people that helped me pull it off and the moms involved enough.
  2. My work printed in a magazine! I loved that my story got featured in Momma Bear Magazine this year.
  3. I got to be on the radio and TV (twice)! I shared last minute Halloween tips on KATU in October, Thanksgiving tips on the Ultimate Oregon Thanksgiving show on Simple Kitchen with Missy Maki in November, and  last-minute holiday tips on KATU in December.

My personal favorite posts of 2016:

Boy, I have so many posts that are on my top personal posts of the year. The working moms series is at the very top of that list. However, right after that I’d put my series on my 10th Anniversary Party. These posts didn’t get nearly as many pageviews as I first imagined they would… but, BOY it was the best party I’ve ever thrown and there were some seriously amazing photos done by photographer Mary Boyden.

Instagram Top 9:

jennibost best nine

Do you follow me on Instagram? If so you might have seen these top nine posts!

 

Are you a long time reader? If so, what was your favorite post (or topic) of 2016? Share in the comments! I’d like to bring that into the New Year!