It’s that time of the year… as the hours, minutes, and seconds start counting down, it’s time to take a moment to reflect on the past year. This blog and my life went through some big changes this past year, and I am excited to once again have more time for projects in 2017! I didn’t accomplish as much as I would have liked this past year, but I still managed to get some things done. 😉 In no particular order, I am going to highlight some of the projects and major moments we’ve had here at Cassie Bustamante: A Year in Review. (Also, you might recall that this blog started out 2016 as Primitive & Proper!)
Projects
Our master bedroom became a neutral white and wood modern boho bedroom and remains mostly this way today, minus some bedding tweaks.
In the Spring, I shared our guest room with office reveal.
And just months later, this room did a complete 180 as we reinvented it into Emmy’s new Mexican boho bedroom. If you look closely, you’ll actually notice some of the same pieces.
Sawyer’s room was full of potential, but we just failed at finishing… we did, however, update ceiling fans in our bedrooms, including his!
My favorite project, and one of yours as well this year, was our DIY chicken coop. The delicious eggs have been worth the hours it took us to build.
I didn’t do as much furniture as I typically have in the past, but a lot of that was due to how busy work kept me. There were often projects I completed in the nick of time for the shop, but never got to properly photograph. These are a few that I did manage to shoot that I loved.
This mint dresser was so sweet and went home to a couple with an adorable little baby girl.
And this coastal blue midcentury dresser was my personal favorite from the year. I loved the lines, and those long legs!
This book case with DIY sliding dry erase doors is in Emmy’s room and she loves to draw on it. Santa brought her some new dry erase markers, so she’s been going to town!
And lastly, this Serena & Lily inspired wood slice table is a favorite to date… rustic modern simplicity.
My littlest big project this year was Dollhouse Therapy, which I ran with a few other bloggers. Emmy and I designed and recreated this vintage dollhouse and had a great time together in the process.
Life
Aaaah, the life section… well, life surely has a way of taking its unexpected twists and turns. I began 2016 with a fresh start for Sweet Clover, the store I owned. We were in great need of a fresh start after going through some hard times.
By early Summer, things were still going well, but I can honestly tell you that Sarah (my partner) and I were still not 100 percent feeling it. I shared a tour of the whole shebang here.
Finally, this past fall, it was time to admit that although we loved what we had created at Sweet Clover, we didn’t see it as part of our 10 year plan… not even our 5 year plan. And we made the big decision to sell our store. (PS- happy to report Sarah remains one of my very best friends… I am sure when any female-led business ends, there’s speculation, so just wanted you to know there was no drama in our case!) You can read all about that decision here, but as I write this post a few months later, I have had no regrets. I am so happy with that decision and excited about more time with my family, and more time to work on home projects. I don’t miss it at all, so I know it was the right choice for me. Ironically, a few of my blog friends have made the same decision this year and for the same reasons…. store ownership is all consuming, and it’s just not the life I wanted for my family.
Miscellaneous
I began the year strong with my book reviews, but fell off the wagon! I have still been reading, just not sharing as much. What do you think? Shall I bring back the reviews for 2017? My favorite books of the year were In Falling Snow (full review here) and The Winter People (full review here).
(Click on the image to be taken to the book on Amazon- affiliate links)
In a survey, you guys let me know you don’t really like having recipes posted here. However, this clean eating pumpkin pie smoothie bowl is one of my most shared links, and I still eat it often, so it’s worth including in this post!
You guys really enjoyed this post sharing my bohemian style fall porch and brunch setting as well.
And I always love ending each year with the Christmas tours…. Filling the house with magic and natural beauty…. nothing like it!
Well how was that for a hodge podge of a review? Can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2017! Any big celebratory plans this weekend? I have big HUGE plans. And by that I mean wearing my flannel pj pants, a hoodie, no bra, and eating sushi on my couch, while watching Dick Clark’s Rockin’ NYE with the family. Party animal over here!
Sharing at TDC Best of 2016.
