TODAY IS A BIG DAY!

Today marks the 100th post on Seventeenth & Irving. To say that I'm a little misty eyed is an understatement. I felt a lot of pressure to blog in previous years, when I had an interior design blog, then a gluten free blog, then a "I don't really know what this is blog" that grew in to Seventeenth & Irving as it stands today. I wasn't certain that I would ever see this day, because I don't exactly have the best track record in maintaining side projects.

Still, I enjoyed the creative outlet enough to keep doing it, and as I learned more graphic design skills I used it as a practice tool. I am 100% self taught when it comes to graphic design and HTML, and I'm so proud of this blog and how it looks today versus one year ago, when I decided I wanted to start blogging again.

More importantly, this blog has become a symbol of evolution of myself along the way. As I approach 30 next year (which I'm freaking out about or excited about, depending on the day you ask me) I am more certain than ever of my aesthetic, from the clothes I like to wear to the way I want my home to feel.

As I've grown, this blog has grown with me. I used to be scared of how others would view this blog and though I wanted it to be a beautiful place to visit on the web, I was afraid of the judgement that comes with putting a piece of yourself out there in the public. Did you know that until about three months ago, I rarely received a comment? I did little to grow the audience here or to network with other bloggers who I love to read. It showed. For some reason, I still felt like I might be doing something wrong and didn't want others to visit here and agree with my negative inner voice. Self-criticism is my very worst enemy, and I work daily to fight against that voice in my head. I am highly critical of both myself and my work because I am a perfectionist to a fault.

But now I feel that a page is turning. And not just a regular page in the middle of a chapter, but one of those pages that divides chapters and has a nice big title and maybe an illustration on it. I am incredibly excited about the features and original content I've got planned for Seventeenth & Irving, and I hope you'll enjoy them too. It's only the beginning!

Thank you to you, my friends and readers for stopping by. Thank you for taking the time to leave comments, chat with me on Twitter, or pin items you find inspiring. You always make my day by doing so.

Have a wonderful, relaxing, long weekend!

XOXO - Lauren