With the new year going strong, I’ve decided to introduce a new monthly series to Simply Sinova: 12 Months of Happiness! New year, new series, am I right? I absolutely LOVED doing the 100 Happy Days Challenge last year, so I wanted to start a little happiness project of my own. Instead of doing a daily photo challenge, I want to recap everything that made me happy each month! Then at the end of the year, I’ll go back and review each post and make a collective yearly recap! One of the biggest things 2014 taught me was that happiness is a choice, so in 2015 (and every year that follows) I CHOOSE HAPPINESS! I’m so excited about this new series because it’s important to learn to appreciate all of the positive things going on in your life! Here are the things that made January an amazing month:
January was a great month for mail! Snail mail is my absolute favorite. Nothing makes me happier than getting a random package in the mail or handwritten letters from friends. Along with my 4 monthly subscription boxes (ipsy, Beauty Box 5, Loot Crate & 1Up Box) I got an ADORABLE Lilo Funko Pop in the mail. I also got a gorgeous custom watercolor painting of one of my college graduation photos from the talented Little Season.
I took my first trip of 2015 this month and it was AMAZING! I hadn’t planned on traveling so soon in the year but when you get an email saying you got SNL tickets, you just can’t pass that up. Luckily, I don’t work on weekends so I was able to fly to New York City Saturday afternoon and fly back to Chicago Monday morning (I got back at 10AM and had to work at 11AM, talk about a close call!) Seeing Saturday Night Live live was amazing and I can’t wait to do it again someday! You can read all about my SNL live taping experience here!
While in NYC I also got to explore Brooklyn, sample some amazing food and see Matilda: The Musical (which was high on my Broadway bucket list!) It was so fun getting to take that random weekend trip. When it comes to traveling, I’ve never done something that spontaneous in my life! Ever since I graduated college last May, I’ve noticed that I’ve been taking more chances and really going with the flow! Sometimes you can’t think about things, you just have to do it! Go big or go home, right?
When used correctly (i.e not as a way to rant/complain about your life or post frivolous status updates) social media can be a great thing, especially when it comes to connecting with brands! This month both Ban.do and Ban.do Founder + Creative Director, Jen Gotch ‘liked’ two of Instagram posts that contained Ban.do products. Another social media highlight this month is when The Day Designer followed me on Instagram and reposted my photo (I’ve never had that happen before!) Tokidoki also liked one of my IG posts this month! Another social media first in January was when Ashley Brooke Designs re-shared my January Must Haves post, which included her mugs, on her Facebook page. It might seem silly that this made me happy but the exposure alone was amazing! I saw a definite increase in my blogs traffic thanks to the ABD Facebook re-share and more IG interaction as well! To top that off, Simply Sinova reached 2k on Instagram this month! Hooray for social media!
Ever since I was a little girl, my dream has always been to be a film critic. Growing up in Chicago, Roger Ebert was one of my idols! I loved reading his reviews in the Sun-Times and thinking what an amazing job that must be to be able to see and talk about films all day! Ever since my first advance screening invite for ‘If I Stay‘ back in July, I’ve made it my mission to network with as many film reps as I can so I can continue to get screening invites. The more screenings I get to attend, the more film reviews I get to write. I know what you’re thinking, “why can’t you just write reviews for films after they come out in theaters?” While that is an option, most people search for film reviews before the film comes out or the day it comes out, so they can see if it’s worth seeing. Having my film reviews written before the film hits theaters gives them a better chance of being searched for. This month I had the opportunity to attend 3 advance screenings: Paddington, Mortdecai and Kingsman: The Secret Service.
I can’t believe that tomorrow is the last day of January! Here’s hoping for an even better February! What made you happy this month?
Make sure to check out the entire ‘12 Months Of Happiness‘ series HERE!
Make sure to check out the entire ‘12 Months Of Happiness‘ series HERE!