Favorite Blog Posts of 2013

FavoriteBlogPostsof2013_2How are you all doing? Did you have fun over the holidays? I know I did! To day I round up my favorite blog posts of 2013. It’s not only the content, but it’s also the reasoning behind the posts that matter.

  1. Welcome to ZaniMeli! (April 24th 2013, Post #1) – This was the first blog post. I obviously changed the name of the site, but this post was so meaningful to me. It signified new beginnings, a gigantic leap of faith, stepping into the unknown and committing to my creativity and business.Miss Ideas Logo
  2. Miss Ideas Yahoo Launch (May 22nd 2013, Post #12) – Working with Yahoo! and S+A Media was a great experience. This was the first video we launched on the site. So proud! You responded very well to most Miss Ideas videos. You can click HERE to view all episodes.
  3. Your Guide to Temporary Wallpaper (July 9th 2013, Post #26) – Compiling this list was so much fun! You loved it a lot too! Hence, I’m going to work on more posts like this in 2014.
  4. The “Before & After Series” has been pretty successful. Amongst my favorite are; Before & After: Distressed Turquoise Media Console (July 30th 2013, Post #32), Before & After: Red Stools With Black and White Zig Zag Cushions (September 12th 2013, Post #12), and Before & After: Ribbon Art (October 10th 2013, Post #52). I love getting my hands dirty and creating beauty out of old ragged pieces. These are examples of that.
  5. How do YOU Define Success? (August 6th 2013, Post #34) – I’m passionate about this topic. Writing this post was not just about sharing thoughts but also about digging deep and searching for your own version of success. The infographic is fantastic!
  6. Checking in on Week 19 (August 13th 2013, Post #36) – This is how I am able to record my personal quarterly successes, challenges and failures. This first check in was great! I just did my 2nd HERE. It’s always great to see where you stand in comparison with your plans/goals.The Baking Corner Colors
  7. Apple Streusel Muffins (October 17th 2013, Post #54) – The recipes we’ve received from the Baking Corner have been a huge success! You and I have loved seeing these delicious sweets on the blog. You can also check out the easy Chocolate Shortbred Logs.
  8. Before & After: Tr3s Top 20 Set Design (November 21st 2013, Post #64) – I put this B&A apart from the others because the transformation of this little room into a set was drastic. You must see it to believe it. I worked my @$$ off on this one!#ThankfulNovember
  9. #ThankfulNovember (November 26th 2013, Post #65) – The response to my daily Facebook and Twitter posts on #ThankfulNovember definitely caught your attention. This was a great way to take a moment to be thankful for the big and little things that make us happy. One person asked me if I was doing anything for December! That’s a great idea for next year! I’ll make something up!E-Decorating
  10. E-Decorating Services (December 5th 2013, Post #68) – I worked diligently to come up with a platform and pricing strategy that could generate me income through accessible design. This is how I make my money, baby! Let’s get you some big style for little money! I’m here to help you get started!

Those were my top 10 favorite posts. You know when you come across old entries that you wish you could have written better? I just went through that, but I’m not touching them. They are what they are and in retrospect they are lessons for the future. The moment I, you, start getting too critical you’ll end up not doing anything at all. You just have to let it be. That’s how creativity works. I’ve learned to let go in that sense and let me voice be heard. Overall, I’m a happy camper.

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Merry Christmas 2013

Merry_Christmas_2013Hi everyone!

When I was young, my belief in Santa was very real but conflicted. I would urge my parents to leave the Christmas Eve festivities early so that Santa would have time to drop by our home before the sun rose. As soon as we got home I would go to bed like a good little girl but have a hard time falling asleep. I just couldn’t control the excitement!!! What would he leave under our tree?!?! As I attempted to fall asleep I would also try to figure out how odd it was to have a stranger come into our house in the middle of the night, park his reindeer on our roof, eat our cookies, drop off some gifts and then leave. Why? What’s in it for him? I mean, “He sees you when you’re sleeping… He knows when you’re awake…” Stalker. That just creeped the heck out of me! Hence, I never even thought about leaving my room to see if I could take a peek at Santa. I’d much rather wait for him to magically zip in and out through our front door’s key hole (we lived in the Caribbean people… no chimneys…) uninterrupted. Wheww…

Needless to say, the Three Wise Men were even creepier! They wouldn’t stay in the living room, they would dare to go into our rooms! I mean, did they all split up and go into each of our rooms? Or did all three come into each room? Did the camels come in with them? Did they all smell like camel? You can bet every last penny that my eyes would stay completely shut throughout the night afraid that if they were to open I would risk not getting gifts or seeing a group of old men with glittered robes and crowns placing clothes under my bed. Uhmmm…

For all that it’s worth, I was always nervous and excited but never terrified. It was magic. Kids get to experience wonder and joy beyond their wildest dreams. I would love to experience that again. Wouldn’t you? My guess is that it will all come back to life the day I have my own children. I’ll see it through their imagination and their innocence. Awww… :-p

I wish you lots of joy and fond memories on this very special Christmas Eve and day! Thank you for reading this post! Now go have some fun! You deserve it! Here’s a video of my office Christmas Party. Enjoy!

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Your Favorite Blog Posts of Summer 2013

Hello amigos!

To wrap up the summer, I’m rounding up the best posts from the season. It was a great season here at Zania.net and I hit my first blog post goal of 25 posts! Next goal is blog post #50 and it is coming up soon!! Thank you so much for being a part of this blog. It’s you who keeps me wanting to share more content with you!!

Here are your favorite Blog Posts of the Summer.

  1. Not surprisingly, the Miss Ideas series dominates the top rated posts for the summer. Arma tu Mini Bar | How to Organize a Small Bar is #1 on the list featuring Puerto Rico’s “Don Q” Rum.Arma tu mini bar | Mini Bar Set Up Episode #7 (7.3.2013)
  2. One click away from the #1 spot is How do YOU Define Success? This is one of my favorite posts too! Along with the post I added this very informative infographic regarding today’s views on Success. I know you like Infographics!!

    Credit: HuffingtonPost.com Third Metric Infographic
    Credit: HuffingtonPost.com Third Metric Infographic
  3. Next one received a lot of comments on all social media platforms. It was Arregla tu maquillaje roto | How to Fix Broken Makeup. It really is very useful and it was so much fun to make. There’s an added blooper on the post too.Arregla tu maquillaje roto | How to fix your broken makeup Episode #13 (8.14.2013)
  4. Tied for fourth place are Organiza tu joyas |Jewelry Branch and Checking in on Week 19. I wasn’t expecting to get so many hits on my “Checking in” post but I’m glad to see that you like hearing about my milestones. I share them because I believe that you too can achieve your true potential and if we share our motivation then it can spread like wildfire and encourage us to keep going.Organiza tus joyas | Jewelry Branch Episode #8 (7.10.2013)What_Am_I_Doing_Instagram_zania
  5. Lastly, at position #5 is Your Guide to Temporary Wallpaper. This was a hit! You sent in lots of emails and questions regarding these. So glad you liked it!

    "Soprano Teal Wallpaper Elixir Graham & Brown" www.designyourwall.com
    “Soprano Teal Wallpaper Elixir Graham & Brown” www.designyourwall.com

Remember, you can always leave a reply on any post or contact me through the “Contact” page and let me know if there’s anything you’d like for me to blog about. Thanks again for all your support and I hope you had a great Summer!!!

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