Happy New Year and thank you for being part of OurBellaLife!
In today’s podcast we look back on the dumpster fire that was 2020 and talk about what lay ahead for us in 2021!
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Starting the year recovering from a gluten challenge (me, Bryci) and straight into covid, this year seemed like it was going to be full of changes and it definitely was. We decided to buckle down on our blog here, and have put in countless hours in the backend so far. Work is really no fun when you can’t actually see the changes! But the site layout is better, it’s running faster, registrations and comments are now open again.
What were some big things 2020 brought us?
From being at home all the time, it really helped us appreciate the small things in life, and realize that they’re what’s most important at the end of the day. Good relationships, people to spend time with. Even fur buddies, we saw so many people adopting animals for some companionship.
I’ve been teaching myself how to cook, and batch cook.. all very lazy minimal recipes because I’m the kind of person that can add paprika and feel like a chef. If you haven’t been following our insta stories, that’s where I’ve been posting the majority of my recipes. Don’t worry though, I do plan to list my favorites here to share with you all, and I’ve even roped James into helping me with some food porn photos.
Thankfully summer 2020 in Western Canada didn’t have any fires close to us so we got to enjoy mostly clear skies. A few years back almost the entire summer was a dark grey haze of forest fire smoke. So we spent a lot of time outdoors hiking with the dogs this spring/summer/fall.
For some reason I’ve been feeling very Marie Kondo the entire year, and donating a lot of things that admittedly I’d rather not be dusting anymore. I’ve managed only to buy a few more plants, and kill none so I’d say that’s a success so far. Live greenery really seems to up the mood when you’re stuck inside all day.
I got hit hard with the blues this year, as I’m sure a lot of people did unfortunately. That means spending a lot of time working on my mental health with meditation, making sure to get outside for some fresh air and sunshine, get some yoga back in (you’ll be amazed at how great you feel after a simple 20 min practise at home).
The aerogarden trend also happened at our house, my mom turned her entire basement into an indoor garden so I’d say I didn’t fall too far down the DIY gardening hole in comparison. We are planning on building some raised planters in the backyard this upcoming spring for something else to keep busy with outside.
We were both pretty nonplussed with Christmas in 2020, we don’t have much family so it wasn’t really different than any other year for us in those terms but it definitely just felt like any other day. Our Christmas lights went up in early November though because hey, pretty colors can only improve things right? Read about our December 2020!
Can’t forget about the art!
Throughout the year, but mostly in winter a lot of time was spent on art and trying new things. I’ve explored some minimal ballpoint sketches, some ipad procreate drawings, and quite a lot was sent to new homes via our etsy (which soon will be here on our website in a new shop)!
Clay sculpting came next, shoutout to sculpey because that stuff makes you feel like a pro right from the start. You definitely need some extra tools to start off with though but not many. Some sculpting tools, clay of course, an artist set of glues and glazes that you don’t think you will need but end up needing. Plus something to roll it out, and something to protect your desk. You can use parchment paper for that, and even toothpicks for drawing details if you’d like to skip buying the tools.
I really recommend Ace of Clay on youtube, I enjoyed watching what he creates and learning new techniques from him!
How about for 2021?
For 2021, all we really have planned is to focus on improving our work/life balance, and putting more time into projects that we always would push off because of responsibilities getting in the way. When I say projects, of course I mean of the creative type. We’re planning to do a big photoshoot monthly with a gorgeous print available in monster sizes. There will also be vlogs and extended how-to videos. Not to get too far into details, you’ll just have to stay tuned.
What are you hoping you’ll see out of 2021?
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