7 Highlights Of 2022 (And What's To Come In 2023!)
2022 was a mixed bag for me to be honest, but I want to celebrate all the amazing things that happened that I didn’t really acknowledge or celebrate at the time. Plus, with writer’s block, it seems a fitting first post for the new year!
I told myself that 2022 was going to be “My Year.” <Groan> We all know what that means, don’t we?
It wasn’t! My dad’s health declined and that put more mental and emotional stress on me than I’d bargained for, plus changes to routine, my son starting at secondary school and my husband getting a new job with more responsibility seemed to knock me off balance as I tried to navigate my business and working part time elsewhere.
So now’s the time for me to recognise all the good things that came out of the year, and I’d love to share them with you!
Hi! I’m Sarah…
An accessory designer who loves transforming vague ideas into works of art! I can help you with bespoke headpieces, brooch bouquets and can even teach you how to make your own accessories, for your wedding, for fun or for business.
Wherever you are with your wedding planning, you might also like my new podcast, The Miss To Mrs Mindset, available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!
I started a podcast!
And you can listen to the audio version of this post here!
The Miss To Mrs Mindset podcast idea came to me on a walk. Unlike most things I’ve done, where there’s a lot of expectation for whatever I put out to be well-received and a success, I felt very little attachment to how well the podcast did.
In my head, that meant I was doing it for the right reasons - putting it out there in the hope that the people who needed to hear it heard it, rather than worrying about how many people listened.
I’ve only put a few episodes out but there are more to come. The podcast was initially categorised under self-improvement or self-help and this made me feel a bit icky as I uploaded them. Having followed people in the self-improvement and wellness spheres for a while, I had been heavily influenced by some and it didn’t feel right. I made the choice a few weeks ago to change the category of the podcast to “how to" instead, as this sat better with me.
What’s that? You haven’t heard it yet? Take a listen and tell me what you think!
I released my gemstone bracelets
Yep! And you loved them! Which leads me to the next good thing…
Raising money to help abandoned animals in Ukraine
I was really shaken with the news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and while I don’t tend to watch or listen to the news, reporting of it was everywhere. A video came up on Facebook about pets that were stranded as their owners hadn’t been able to take them with them and showed how desperate the animal shelters were and it broke my heart.
I’m not sure why exactly this had the most impact on me out of all the devastation. I guess the thought of defenceless creatures being abandoned amid chaos and destruction with no way of asking for help hit me hard. I cried a bit, went to do the food shopping and came back with a plan to try and help.
I’d made up my mind that £10 from each of my Calm in the Storm bracelets would be donated to charities helping to keep animals in Ukraine safe, warm and fed. I spent some time googling charities I could donate to and decided on the Romanian organisation, Casa Lui Patrocle, helping pets get the vaccinations they needed to enter the bordering countries, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare, who were supporting some animal shelters in Ukraine.
I could have given to many charities, but at that point, many were saying they desperately needed the resources and people to deliver them rather than money as they were unable to get deliveries of the things they purchased. Both the charities I chose let me give a donation of my choosing too, which meant I could give the exact amount of money I raised, which made things a bit easier.
I think I raised around £180 in the end, which was split evenly between the two charities and giving something felt really good. Thank you to all of you who bought a bracelet throughout March!
Accessory and Brooch Bouquet Courses!
I reinvented my accessory courses towards the end of 2021, transforming them from a generic design in a box to a more personalised experience with a bespoke design based around things you wanted to learn to make.
It was the right move and I’m so proud of what my creative learners have achieved!
I also helped a bride’s grandparents to make her brooch bouquet! Carol and Bob had been tasked by their granddaughter, Kathy, to create her brooch bouquet, so they came to visit me in Weston, along with Kathy’s mum, Sally, to unpick the bouquet they’d started and set the foundations for a new one.
I used a different approach with the brooch bouquets as they take quite a bit of time to make, so rather than offering a longer course, I invited Carol, Bob and Sally to book in for a couple of hours and then we arranged to meet for another couple of hours a few months later to finish it off, giving them time to work on the bouquet themselves in the meantime.
The finished bouquet was lovely and I’m so impressed with what they managed to create! I promise to share some photos when I have them!
If you love the idea of making your own brooch bouquet but need some help to get started, click here and I’ll send you some details!
The photoshoots
Photographer: Maple and Fleur
I took part in some amazing shoots last year, which have supplied me with plenty of content for months! The year went from a local, studio-based shoot in Weston with local suppliers and to the cover of Your Bristol and Somerset Wedding Magazine, both shot by Maple and Fleur, with beautiful outdoor shoots in between with suppliers from across the country.
This year I’m hoping to strengthen some connections with other suppliers nearby as it’s so nice to share ideas and collaborate on projects when you normally work alone.
I ended the year with a mention from editor Kelly from Your Bristol and Somerset Wedding magazine about one of my hair vines that had been in a shoot they featured! I felt so proud - this was one of the wedding magazines I bought religiously when we were planning our wedding so it feels surreal seeing my work featured in there now!
The Wishlist was born!
I reinvented my shop to create the accessory Wishlist - a great way to save your favourite designs or to use as a starting point for a bespoke design.
By adding your favourites to your Wishlist and then sending it to me, I can reply with ideas for a bespoke piece that fits in your budget. It’s a great way to see what’s possible!
And finally, my favourite thing…I worked with the most amazing women!
Photographer: Sarah Ann Wright Photography | Bride: Claire
I designed accessories for so many wonderful women last year, many of whom I now consider friends. And even those I didn’t create things for, who read my newsletter or have purchased other things from me, have been so supportive by reaching out, sharing my work and giving me feedback. I honestly couldn’t wish for a better community!
Thank you for trusting me with your headpieces and letting me run with ideas. Thank you for inspiring me with your stories and for sharing my work with the world - I really am honoured to have worked with you!
(You know who you are 😊)
So for 2023…
2023 marks a decade of marriage and a decade since I left my teaching job, so this year, I’m celebrating the small wins and redefining my idea of “success”.
I’m going to put my efforts into creating for the sake of it, writing more for the blog and shifting my focus to platforms that I feel more comfortable on, like Pinterest. My goals are simple: to create things with meaning and to create new connections with people who’d like to work with me. No money goals, just a gentle year that I’m walking into with authenticity, confidence and happiness.
I’d love to hear what you have planned! Leave a comment below or if you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me here!