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As a way to end the year (and make up for all the posts I’ve missed in the past month), I really wanted to share a reflection post looking back at 2017 and sharing some of my favorite pictures. Since these types of posts are popular right now, and to foreshadow the upcoming Hollywood awards season, I thought creating categories and different awards would be fun! But before we get to the awards…and the speeches where I thank my mother…let’s go over some numbers.
In 2017, I gained 96 new followers! My goal for the year was 50, and I am so excited to have almost doubled that goal. Thank YOU for following Graceful Rags this year! It means so much to me. While it may take me awhile to respond, I read each of your comments and I love hearing feedback/interacting with you. 🙂
This past year, I also posted 140 new blog posts and 259 new Instagram posts! I had a great time creating so much new content and learning a ton about blogging and fashion.
And now to the awards! There are two major categories: three People’s Choice Awards and three Blogger’s Choice Awards (in case it was unclear, I’m the blogger ;-).
The People’s Choice Awards are just what they sound like—you; the readers’ favorites based on my blog’s analytics. So without further ado, the award for Most Viewed Post goes to…”Why You Should Wear A Short Dress to Prom” with 79 views! I was actually really surprised that this blog post won. It definitely wasn’t my favorite post or anything special, but it was the only post all year with over 70 views, with second place being “What Goes Around Comes Around: My Top Ten Countdown” with 65 views.
The award for Most Commented Post…drumroll please…goes to “12 Nuggets I’ve Learned in 12 Months of Blogging” with 15 comments.
The award for Most Liked Post goes to…”12 Nuggets I’ve Learned in 12 Months of Blogging” also with 15 likes. This was a popular post! I liked it a lot because what I wrote seemed to really resonate with people, which felt special and meaningful.
And now onto our Blogger’s Choice Awards, so really just my favorites from last year. :-)The award for Favorite Pictures goes to…”Take Me to the Masquerade”! Even though these pictures weren’t the best quality ever, I did really love getting dressed up for this photo shoot and wearing the jester mask. If you’ve been following Graceful Rags for a while, you know I absolutely love costumes (and masquerade masks).
The award for Favorite Writing (aka favorite content beside photos) goes to…”3 Simple Steps for Clearer Skin”! This post was also very popular, and I was excited to share it because it seemed like something from which a lot of people could benefit. Some other contenders for this category included “The Most Impractical Styles in Fashion”; “Flower Crowns: From Fairy to Functional”, all about how to re-wear flower headbands; and “What Goes Around Comes Around: My Top Ten Countdown”, which outlined the recent trends that came back into style from past decades.
And finally, the award for Favorite Outfit (this was a tough one) goes to…”A Unique Party Outfit”! I really loved this fancy outfit (featured as the first picture of this post)—the purples, the hair, the silver heels. Plus, I wore it to my school’s art show, which was a very special night for me.
Some other notable topics from last year: Of all the new blogging methods and posts I tried, I really loved creating my first hair tutorial post, “Three 5-Minute Hairstyles for School”. It was so satisfying to see my vision of those videos come to life!
I was very fortunate to travel a lot this past year, which led to my Summer Travel Series. I really enjoyed that series and all of my trips, but I think my favorite was Skamania Lodge! It was such a beautiful venue and I got to cross zip-lining off my bucket list. 🙂
Overall, 2017 was a great year for both my blog and my personal life. I have big aspirations for 2018 and I’m so excited to see what it has in store.
I hope 2017 treated you well. 🙂 Cheers to 2018!
Miles of smiles,
Grace