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Happy New Year’s Eve! I always love sharing an annual post on this day to recap the year and any blogging milestones I accomplished in the past 12 months. While I’ve been really enjoying reading other bloggers’ posts about the lessons they’ve learned during this difficult year, I’ve decided to keep my reflections to myself for once and just share something lighthearted today. As I’ve done in the past, I’m doing an ‘awards show’ blog post to showcase my top posts of 2020. Now let’s get to it and take a scroll down memory lane!
In 2020…
- I published 110 blog posts.
- My website gained 116 new followers, a 34% increase from last year.
- My blog posts had 1,516 comments, a 245% increase from last year.
- My blog posts had 677 likes, a 33% increase from last year.
- The unique visitors to my website more than doubled, increasing by 137%.
- My website views increased by 170%.
- I gained at least 311 Instagram followers (I don’t know the exact number since Instagram’s insights are so limiting), and I finally reached 1,000 followers in August. Finishing the year strong with 1,105!
- I applied to ShopStyle and was rejected, but I finally began sharing shoppable widgets in February.
- I began taking my own photos with a tripod after quarantine started in March.
- I started sharing Month in Review blog posts in May.
- I became a Passion Planner Ambassador in August and finally made my first dollar from blogging.
- I joined Campus Trendsetters in August and received my first PR package in September.
- I started posting three times a week in September to share weekly recaps and outfits-of-the-day.
- I reapplied to ShopStyle and was accepted, allowing me to finally make a small commission from affiliate links.
- I applied to RewardStyle in November and was accepted right away.
I mentioned in both my November Month in Review and my December Month in Review that my big goal for December was to slow down and appreciate my blog… to take it in and feel proud of all the hard work I’ve poured into this website over the years. Since my blog began, and this past year especially, I have really struggled with enjoying blogging because I only seem to see the imperfections. Oh, I look awkward in that photo. Oh, I shouldn’t have said that on the internet—nobody cares. Oh, my photos will never be good enough. But now, as I write this post and see how much my blog has grown this past year, as well as all the opportunities I had, I feel extremely proud. Sure, it took me more than four years to spring into action and experience real growth. But hey, at least I finally got there. Blogging will always have its challenges and frustrating days, but I feel so hopeful for what this new year will bring. Thank you so much for your comments, likes, and unwavering support in 2020. It means the world!
Okay okay, that’s enough sappiness—now onto the blogging awards!
The first category is the Followers’ Choice Awards, which are decided by all of you! The three awards in this category are Most Viewed Post, Most Commented Post, and Most Liked Post.
Most Viewed Post Award
The nominees for Most Viewed Post are…
Binge Worthy Fashion: Blair Waldorf from “Gossip Girl”
Binge Worthy Fashion: Jane Sloan from “The Bold Type”
Unsurprisingly, this past year had a lot of coronavirus-related blog posts. When this whole pandemic thing began in March, I got the idea to do a miniseries sharing outfits inspired by my favorite fashionable characters in TV shows, since we were all stuck at home, binging Netflix like crazy. Of course, I had to include the iconic style of Blair Waldorf from “Gossip Girl”, and I also created a Jane Sloan-inspired outfit from the newer show “The Bold Type”. When it came time for me to return to college, I tried to pack as little clothing as possible in case school closed again and I had to move back home—thus the college capsule wardrobe was born.
Now that I’ve given you a little refresher of these posts, can I get a drumroll please?! The Most Viewed Post of 2020 goes to…
My College Capsule Wardrobe with 693 views!
This post has more than double the views of the runner-up, which continues to surprise me. The photos weren’t spectacular or anything, but I guess people really resonate with capsule wardrobes.
Most Commented Post Award
The nominees for Most Commented Post are…
Packing for College in the Age of Coronavirus
What Sewing Has Taught Me About Fashion
And now, the Most Commented Post of 2020 goes to…
Raiding My Mom’s Closet with 38 comments!
I love that this blog post was so well received. Not only did I think the photos and outfit were really cute, but I also love that this post is all about my admiration for my mom! Doesn’t get more heartwarming than mommy-and-me blog posts, am I right?
Most Liked Post Award
The nominees for this category are…
The Best and Worst Summer Fashion Trends
El Camino de Santiago: One Year Later
What Sewing Has Taught Me About Fashion
The award for Most Liked Post of 2020 goes to…
The Best and Worst Summer Fashion Trends with 46 likes!
Usually my blog posts get 3-6 likes, but for some reason this post has so many more—and I don’t know why. When the fall rolled around, I thought to myself, “Hey, that summer fashion trend post performed really well. I should do another one featuring fall fashion trends.” I did, and guess what? The post didn’t perform well at all. So who knows… Blog traffic is such a mystery sometimes (or all the time???).
Now, we move onto the Blogger’s Choice awards, where I choose my favorite blog posts from the following criteria: Favorite Photos, Favorite Writing, and Favorite Outfit.
Favorite Photos Award
The blog post nominees for Favorite Photos are…
It’s hard to beat costume photos on Star Wars day, farmgirl wannabe pics, or edgy construction site photos. So which will it be?? The award goes to…
My mom helped me take these photos at an equipment yard in Las Vegas, and they’re some of my favorite blog photos of all time. I mean, how can you not love seeing how huge that machinery is compared to me? Plus, the edgy outfit is super cute, if I do say so myself.
Favorite Writing Award
My favorite part about blogging is the writing (which is why my posts are always so long!), so naturally, I had a harder time narrowing down the nominees for this category. They are…
Didn’t Even Make the Casting Call
When Fashion Blogging Turns Dangerous
The Best and Worst Parts of Fashion Blogging
El Camino de Santiago: One Year Later
What Sewing Has Taught Me About Fashion
I had a lot of fun writing all of the above posts and carefully deciding on my diction to either tell a story, make you laugh, or be as relatable as possible. I’m very proud of all of these posts, and it just so happens that the photos in them aren’t half bad, either! Without further ado, the award for Favorite Writing goes to…
Didn’t Even Make the Casting Call
This post was all about my experience trying out as a model for Denver Fashion Week (and being swiftly rejected!). I completely forgot about this event until I scrolled through this year’s blog posts, but it was such a fun and emboldening experience that I knew I had to share it on the blog. The best part was the response from my readers—several people reached out to me saying how the story inspired them to be more confident, and hearing that was such an amazing feeling!
Favorite Outfit Award
Last, but certainly not least, is the Favorite Outfit Award. This one is always the hardest to choose—since I love clothes so much, duh—but here are the five nominees…
The Beauty of an Heirloom Piece
Binge Worthy Fashion: Jane Sloan from “The Bold Type”
And the award goes to…wait for it…
Binge Worthy Fashion: Jane Sloan from “The Bold Type”
I don’t think I would have put this outfit together had I not been drawing on Jane Sloan’s style as inspiration. This outfit is fierce and dramatic, and I love how confident I feel while wearing it. Sure, it’s not something I can wear to class, but one day I’ll have the perfect occasion to rock the middle part bun and this sparkly statement blouse in real life.
Thank you for stopping by the blog today and every day in 2020! The excitement I’ve felt about Graceful Rags’ growth was one of the highlights keeping me productive and sane this past year. Here’s to 2021—wishing you all a much happier and safer new year!
Miles of smiles,
Grace
What a fun recap of your year! It was fun to see a few of the posts I missed! Happy New Year’s Eve!
Thanks so much, Laura!
Just remember all the good memories you have made and know that your life will be so full of wonders in the coming year, Grace. 🙂 Happy New Year to you and your family! Aiva 🙂
Thank you so much Aiva!! Such a beautiful reminder.
What a fun way to look back on the year! it’s great to see your blog has grown so much and you have made so many achievements over the year – I really should try taking a look at my numbers, I’d have no idea what has changed on my blog this year!
Hope that you had a wonderful Christmas and are having a happy new year 🙂
Thank you so much Mica!! And honestly, sometimes not looking at numbers is so much better – then it’s just for fun!
You are my blogger inspiration because you are so relatable! Got my first rejection with shop style , if I need 1000 followers ,I have a ways to go lol! Shoppable widgets is on my to do list! I actually really love all of your pictures and how you fimd great locations and take your own pics! Congrats on all of your accomplishments this year!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Thank you SO much Mireille!! Your support means a ton to me. It took me forever to figure out the shoppable widgets, so I would be MORE than happy to help you!!
Love this! I loved all of your data analysis and trying to look for the positives in the year. I just started my blog in September so I can’t wait to see where it takes me just like you!
Thank you so much! And that’s awesome, congrats. 🙂 Cheers to the new year and all the blogging milestones to come!
Grace, this post was so much fun to read! I have no idea how to unravel blog stats to even attempt a post like this…so you are way ahead of the game, in my opinion! Blogging is so fun though, isn’t it?! Without all of my fabulous blogging friends, this past year would have really been tumultuous. Blogging has kept me grounded, connected, and sane! I need to go check out some of your favorite posts that I missed during the year! Thanks for linking up and for being an awesome human and a wonderful blogging friend!
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
Thank you so much Shelbee!! I completely agree, blogging was such a good past time to have during quarantine and everything. Thank YOU for all your support and for being a great blogging friend! <3
This is such a great recap of your year, Grace! Congratulations on reaching several blog milestones in 2020, this year I am sure will only be better. =)
I hope you are having a great week so far!
Amber
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Thank you so much Amber!! Means a bunch. 🙂