So following on from my last post about looking back on the previous year, it’s time to start looking forward. I’ve always said I’m not really into New Year’s Resolutions. I just think trying to accomplish way too much in a very short space of time without any real plan of action beyond sheer willpower will just never work. However, setting long-term goals is always a good idea and working towards something more tangible and accomplishing those things feels pretty damn good.

2018 Goals for the New Year

Plus, I have this massive feeling of accountability writing it all down. I always enjoy looking at other people’s goals so thought you might like to hear mine. But before we get to that, we gotta talk accountability. Last year, I listed out my goals for the year so the first thing I want to do was see if I accomplished my goals of 2017 – ACK! Let’s have a quick look…

2017 Year Goals

2017 Personal Goals – How did I do?

Summer Cocktails with Amara and Newby Teas

My collaborative summer cocktails post with Amara and Newby Teas.

  1. Improve my video content – Still in Progress – I wanted to create a video a month in January last year and improve the quality of my videos so it’s a bit of a fail on the numbers goal. However, I did create 3 videos (monthly videos proved just a bit too much for my schedule!) but not so sure if the quality was that much better than previous attempts! I am feeling a bit more confident now and just want to keep on improving so perhaps 2018 is the year I actually nail it! What I did manage, however, is to really get into Instagram Stories which I love. So I am creating video content (sort of!), just not as much on YouTube as I would have liked!
  2. Team Up with Great Sponsors – Check! – I was so happy to team up with a few really fantastic brands including Amara and Newby Teas, Sweetpea & Willow, Bonadea, West Elm, Oak Furniture Land, Venus Flowers and so many others over the last year so I’m going to say that was pretty much a success. I’m still saying no to those things that aren’t the right fit and I want to be really proud of any sponsored content that I create. And well, I am. So I’m calling that a success.
  3. Get Back Into Healthy Habits – Almost Nearly a Fail! – Well, I did pretty crap on the healthy habits front but in November, we did the Whole30 again and while Christmas is always more difficult, I’m feeling very renewed to feel good again. We are doing a short version of Whole30 over the next week (basically instead of a whole month, we are doing 9 days) to kick us back into the new year, with some much better habits going forward.
  4. Collaborate More with Other Bloggers – Still in Progress – Well, I enjoyed hosting the UK Blog Hop again this Summer, teaming up with an incredible 26 other bloggers to share our summer style with you. I also did a guest post on one of my favourite blogs, Mad About the House and interviewed Karen of Making Spaces for my own blog on what really happens when you hire an Interior Designer. There are so many more I’d love to collaborate with so I’d love to do more like this in the coming year – it’s a work in progress!

2017 House Goals – How did I do?

Brass and glass vintage shelving unit in pink office

A bit of vintage glam I added to my home this year.

I talked about what we accomplished in the house in my last post so I won’t repeat myself but I’m pleased to check off almost everything on that list!

  1. Create a Sexy Man CaveCheck! 
  2. Finish the HallwayCheck! 
  3. Finish the Floors in the BedroomCheck! 
  4. Buy More VintageNot Great! – To be honest, I didn’t need a lot of things for my house last year but I did manage to bag this incredible vintage brass and glass shelving unit for my office from the lovely Nadia of Preciously Me. Once we move, I’ll be on the lookout for a few new things so I hope to improve on this one next year.

2018 – House Goals

Normally on these posts, I talk about the house and all the things we have yet to accomplish – I mean, it took us 7 and a half years to get our house to some kind of ‘finished’ state so every year, we had goals and rooms we wanted to concentrate on. While this year will definitely have A LOT of projects that need doing, it’s a little more difficult for me to plan out seeing as we haven’t yet moved into our new home (and consequently, our next project) yet!

High Road House Chiswick

What’s inspiring me in kitchen design right now: High Road House in Chiswick London, designed by Alexander Waterworth Interiors

However, I will reveal a few things that we are planning on in our next home – a small extension, moving and fully designing a kitchen from scratch, removing walls and rejigging an entire downstairs layout as well as laying new flooring throughout. HOLY CRAP. But I’m probably getting ahead of myself. The new (well, old – it was built in the late 1880’s we think!) house is actually in pretty good condition. The bedrooms just need redecorating and the living room is pretty liveable as is well so we’ll be concentrating on reworking the layout of the kitchen and dining room first – it’s a pretty big project and we hope to complete that part at least by the end of the year.

Of course, once we move in, I’ll do a full tour (and quite possibly a video!) so you can see exactly what we’re working with and it’ll be the start of a good few years’ worth of work! Eeek! I can’t wait. So I suppose my very first goal is just to MOVE. As I’ve said before, buying and selling in the UK is a bit of a fragile endeavour but so far, things have gone smoothly and we are hoping to be in around February sometime, all going well. And then this project can begin!

2018 – Personal Goals

Autumn Dressing 1 Top 2 Ways

Get Out From Behind the Camera More – I still feel incredibly self-conscious posing in front of a camera for the blog but one thing that’s always been important to me is that you see Swoon Worthy as not just a blog but as a real live person who isn’t too much different from you, just doing the best I can. So one of my goals is to get out from behind the camera a little more often – so, whether that’s for fashion, beauty or travel, get used to seeing this face! Ha!

Improve my video content – I’m gonna whack this one on again from last year because I feel like I still have so much to improve on when it comes to video. I genuinely still have no clue what I’m doing but it’s all a learning curve!

North West UK Interior Design Bloggers

My North West Blogging Crew from L-R, Top to Bottom: Karen Barlow, Me, Karen from Well I Guess This is Growing Up, Kate from Fabric of My Life, Susie from Old Fashioned Susie and Antonia from #TidyLife. These girls have been so lovely and supportive over the years!

Get To Know Bloggers in the Midlands – With an upcoming move to a new area, I’m keen to get to know bloggers in the Midlands, perhaps join a few groups or attend events in Birmingham. So if you or anyone you know is a blogger in the Shropshire area or Birmingham regions, let me know! I have such a lovely little group of bloggers from the Northwest (that gorgeous group seen above) and I’d love to find more of the same locally to where I’ll be.

Take at least one full weekend a month off – Now this is a bit of a tough one. I’ve been trying for ages to successfully work just 5 days a week rather than 6 but well, I’ve not quite cracked it yet. I’m hoping to look at where my bottlenecks are, figure out what I can do to improve my efficiency and get at the very least 1 full weekend off a month that I can look forward to and not stress about!

Reach 100k visitors to my blog a month and hit 20k followers on Instagram – these are more just blog/social goals and while I’m fully aware that numbers aren’t everything in the grand scheme of things, they are just little milestones that I would be so happy to reach this year.

So that’s really everything I’ve got to look forward to and strive for in the coming year. What goals have you been making for 2018? Let me know in the comments!


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Swoon Worthy
2018 Goals for the New Year
Summer Cocktails with Amara and Newby Teas
Brass and glass vintage shelving unit in pink office
High Road House Chiswick
Autumn Dressing 1 Top 2 Ways
North West UK Interior Design Bloggers
Meet Kimberly
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Amara IBA19 Winner Home Styling
Vuelio Top 10 2020
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My little neglected makeup/dressing room has had a glow up 🥰

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My new rug can't compete with that belly.

Rug is from @laredoute_uk (not an ad) not that anyone cares 😅

#kitchendesign
I've really loved making these pretty reusable Christmas crackers! I'm still in the process of finding cute bits for filling them but they'll definitely be a centrepiece for my table this year!🎄💕

Suggestions for what to fill them with coming soon!

(By the way, I'm not a skilled seamstress so I'm sure my techniques can be improved but just sharing what worked for me 🤗😅)

Let me know if this is something you'd try? ❤️

#swoonworthy #christmasdecor #christmascraft #diychristmas #diycrafts #easysewingproject
On 22 October 2022, I married my best friend! I can't believe it's been a whole year (and one day) I've been calling @2nilup my husband 🥰 We've been together for 15 years now and I simply can't and wouldn't want to imagine my life without him ❤️ 

#youandmeagainsttheworld #2222 

Photography: @violajayphotography 
Flowers: @primroseavenuefloral 
Dress: @camillawithlove
DIY REFILLABLE CHRISTMAS CRACKERS 🎄🎉

I've been thinking about making refillable crackers for so many years now - I just hate the waste the disposal ones create! So I'm so excited I've finally gotten around to starting this project!

I will be sharing more details on how to make them as well as ideas for what to fill them with too so stay tuned for more but in the meantime, what do you think? 

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Just wanted to introduce my latest plant baby in my dining room 🪴

It's from @botanique_shrewsbury and it's a Peparomia (I am probably pronouncing it wrong, I keep wanting to say
GUEST BEDROOM REVEAL 🌟

I decided on a whim, 2 weeks before we were expecting visiting family, that our guest bedroom was in desperate need of a refresh.

Well there's nothing like an impending deadline to light a 🔥 under my 🍑 and I managed to clear out the clutter, repaint the woodwork, ceilings and walls and hang wallpaper as well as restyle the room in one week 😅 (Meisha was zero help 😼)

I'm calling it Boho Vintage Victorian Grandma 😆

This wasn't sponsored in any way but the wallpaper and bedding is from @lauraashleyuk and the paint is @earthbornpaints Peach Baby - everything else I already had!

What do you think of the new look? ❤️

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#bedroommakeover
#beforeandafter
#bedroomdecor #cottagecore #vintagestyle #victorianhouse #ihavethisthingwithpink #bengalsofinstagram
🔥JOIN US ROUND THE FIRE PIT! 🔥

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No more standing around waiting for things to light properly or billowing smoke from wet wood, everything burns beautifully! ☺️ We literally sat around this for hours as the logs last so long, long after the sun set, just chatting and enjoying ourselves! 🥰🍻🔥

Do you love a good firepit in the summer?

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San Sebastian photo dump - just a tiny selection 😄

We have had such a fabulous holiday to Basque Country - our first 4 days spent in the beautiful city of San Sebastian, land of pintxos, stunning architecture and some damn good wine.

#sansebastian #travelgram #photodump
A little kitchen reshuffle today so I thought I'd share 🥰

It's been 4 years since we created this space and it's still one of my favourites ♥️

#kitchendesign #kitchendecor #kitcheninspiration #kitchenideas #openshelvingkitchen #kitchenstyling
Ad 🩷 Before and after Deck makeover! 🩷

This little decked patio was looking worse for wear after a wet winter but @frenchicpaint came to the rescue with their beautiful Dusty Blush Alfresco Paint, perfect for all your outdoor projects!

The deck has been a few colours over the past few years but this is definitely the most fun and gives the whole space such a tropical vibe - even in Shrewsbury! 🏝️ 🦩🍹😄

The paint has incredible coverage and was so nice to use - I loved the tools they provided too, especially the oval brush which got into all the nooks and crannies easily!

Let me know what you think of the new colour! 

#frenchicpaint #beforeandafter #deckmakeover #gardeninspiration #gardeninspo #outdoorproject
So on a whim I decided to paint the bedroom pink yesterday 😅🩷

This room has been neglected for so long as I've wanted to fully redecorate for about 3 years now but there are always other bigger priorities or a lack of time/energy/money so I keep putting it off 🙃🙃🙃 (tell me I'm not the only one) but happily this didn't cost a penny as I used what I already had although it did take me the best part of a day!

I went through my paint stash and found that I had extra @coatpaints Percy from when I did the living room early last year -- well I'm not one to let something this good go to waste (honestly this paint is absolutely wonderful to work with and has amazing coverage) and my goodness it's just so pretty in here 🥰 I also moved my pink curtains from my office into here and the whole room just glows!

I might actually be able to live with the mural a little longer until the room gets the attention it deserves! Let me know if you like the change ♥️

*For those who are wondering, it used to be white walls and I had grey curtains! 😅

#swoonworthy #bedroomdecor #bedroommakeover #bedroomdesign #pinkpinkpink #pinkinteriors
A little photo dump from my recent living room shoot because I still love to dig into the details of a still photo 😄💕

#swoonworthy #swoonworthyscents #livingroominspo #livingroomdesign #photodump
ad How to De-stress at Home in 6 Simple Steps 😊

April has been #stressawarenessmonth and so I've teamed up with the wonderful @frenchbedroom to share a few simple tips in creating a cosy sanctuary at home!

One of my favourite ways to add a feeling of comfort and relaxation is with glorious touchable textures and the stunning Mulberry Silk ruffled cushion from French Bedroom not only looks spectacular but feels incredible too! Pairing this with other feel-good fabrics will add depth to your design and will beg you to sink in and unwind 😍

French Bedroom are also now stocking my own home fragrance brand @swoonworthyscents candles, adding another element of calm with scent to your home. I chose No 02 Sunday Morning for my living room with rejuvenating Jasmine and refreshing pine and lemon notes 🥰

Check out my latest blog post for more tips on creating a relaxing sanctuary in your home via the link in my bio!

#swoonworthy #swoonworthyscents #frenchbedroom #livingroominspo #livingroomdesign #calming #aesthetic #cottagecoreaesthetic
Who needs pancakes when you can have Lemon Drizzle Cake with Lemoncello glaze?! 😉🍋

I've had such a craving for this cake for a while so figured I'd make it today! This is a recipe from @bbcgoodfood and it's rather gorgeous 🥰

#baking #lemondrizzle #lemoncake #bakewithlove #shrovetuesday
Are you lucky enough to be owned by a cat? 🐈🐾

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Finally managed to get the gallery wall completed in our hallway!

I couldn't have been happier with @violajayphotography capturing our little intimate wedding in October and knew as soon as I saw the photos I had to print them for our home! I admit, I've never been one to hang photos but it's probably because all we ever had after 14 years together was selfies 😂🤷🏽‍♀️ I'm so pleased we finally have some lovely shots of us together 🥰

Do you have photos of you/your partner/your family up around your home?? 🤔

#gallerywall #autumnwedding #hallwaydesign #hallwayinspo
✨These little vintage copper pans needed some TLC! ✨

After searching for a while for vintage copper pans, I found these on eBay - they looked quite grim on the ad but I knew they could be shined up nicely! A little @barkeepersfriend later (not an ad!) and I'm loving how they look in my kitchen 🥰

Let me know if you like the new addition ❤️

#kitcheninspo #kitchendesign #vintagestyle #kitchenstyling
Oh hey living room, nice to have you back ☺️

I always feel very ready to remove the excess of Christmas decor pretty much as soon as the 26th arrives but I've been later than usual this Twixmas as we've both been unwell the last couple weeks 🤦🏽‍♀️ Nevertheless, I've managed to get things packed away and I styled this little faux arrangement today for my coffee table so ya know, small victories 😄🙌🏽

#livingroom #livingroominspo #fauxflowers #coffeetabledecor