Happy Birthday, Flowers In My Books

Yeah, you heard correctly. Today, on the 2nd September, Flowers In My Books turns One. I must admit, there were times I didn't think we'd make it here. Blogging is a lot harder than I expected, but I don't regret a single thing. Here are some of the stats and highlights of this long, first year.

So here we are, an entire year later, and I've made it from 0 blog views to 8194 views which is just insane. I remember hitting 1000 views and saying to my friend 'How did we get here?' now this just seems like a joke. I don't know what the average stats are, but for me, that's darn impressive. In 109 posts we've made it to 58 followers and 268 comments. To anyone who has contributed to these stats, thank you SO SO much. Obviously I don't do this for the views, or the comments or the followers (Although it does motivate me to continue on) but this all means a lot to me, to finally be doing something I love and to have something to show for it. Thank you.

The design itself has changed. Drastically. When I first started the design was perfect, I loved it, but as I grew and the content on the blog grew, it became increasingly obvious to me that the design just didn't fit with the idea that I had in mind. I'm so grateful to my first theme, that I already had a beautiful design to support my content but I think it's time to move on. I tweaked my current (and first theme) so that it fits my ideal design for now but I am currently saving to buy a new theme which I think will keep me motivated to always come out with new, quality content.

I updated my About Me page which has been due for over a year now (seriously, my previous one was awful) and I added a contact form to my contact page to make everything easier and more professional.

During the course of this year I've taken part in my first goodreads challenge, my first reading challenges in general, my first read-a-thon and even my first buddy read. All of these are things that I didn't even know about before I started blogging.

I've even managed to improve my review somewhat. My first review on this blog was a complete shambles and since then I've managed to hone the skill and have ended up with reviews I'm even proud of slightly: What Happened To Goodbye by Sarah Dessen (even if I haven't started to enjoy writing them the least bit).

I started a series on the blog which I adore and have such a good time making which consists of playlists that are inspired by books that I love. I'm gutted that they are some of the posts that get the least attention because I'm so proud of my playlists and I want people to love them as much as I do.

One amazing thing that has happened because of this blog is that it's given me the chance to make new friends. It's also allowed me to grow closer to the friend that introduced me to blogging in the first place and we've hung out twice in the past year (I even met Sarah J Maas with her) which led to the posts 'Natalie's Adventures' where I talk about experiences that I have and want to share with you guys. The Sarah J Maas edition is here (I love it. I read through it a LOT).

I wish I had enough money to do a giveaway for you guys but alas I am just a girl who needs a leather jacket and a new blog design, you'll just have to take my thanks instead <3