Hello There!

Sunset in Edinburgh, 2012

Happy 2013 Everyone!

I’m always better at reflecting on the year once the holidays are over.  I understand why this is the season of resolutions.  Vacation is over, ornaments have been packed away, the last pine needles are swept up (I hope), and I’m left looking at empty spaces around my house and thinking about what’s next.  On the upside, my rocking chair finally has a proper place in the living room.  Emerging from my jet-lag and cookie-induced stupor, I’m also beginning to really appreciate all the great things that happened in 2012.

A few highlights from the blog:

We officially launched The Loud and Clear last January and ended the year with over 50,000 hits from 133 different countries!  Amazing.

We published 313 posts.  Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

We were lucky enough to have 11 different contributors, not to mention all of the people that participated in our Instagram Challenges!

On the personal front, houses were purchased, jobs were quit and gained, an engagement happened, and we watched as Oliver got bigger and bigger…and bigger.

Here’s a look back at our Top Five posts for 2012 along with 5 Editor Picks that we’re pretty proud of:

1. 5 Hip Artists Making Beautiful Things

2. Navigating the Cereal Aisle

3. Moving Tips: Packing Box #1

4. Hurricane Day Decorating: Bookshelf Styling

5. Stress-Busting Foods…and why sometimes that cupcake is OK.

6. 72 Hours in Portland, Maine

7. Nonsense, As Covered By The National Media

8. Do You Have Fat Fingers?

9. Are Urban Outfitters Models On Drugs?

10. You. Are. Awesome

Honorable Mention: John stepping up to the plate by filling in for Kim on Simple Instructions for a Simple Concept

There’s much more to come this year. Thanks for stopping by and making our first year a big success. As always, let us know what you’d like to see here in the future!