On the 24th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

..one hell of a proud blogger!

I have completed 24 consecutive posts; 8 food posts, 8 diy posts, and 8 lifestyle posts. Having seen the result of 3 months of planning, writing, making, baking, photographing, and editing come together has given me a sense of pride and accomplishment nothing else in blogging has ever done.

Blogmas for me was more than just blogging. I wouldn't say it was a test to see if I could do it, it was more of a challenge to see if I had enough focus, drive and ambition to complete something I've been trying to do since I started blogging in 2014.

I thought about taking part in blogmas every year, but this year, I really wanted to do it differently, and in a way I hadn't seen done before. I love to bake, and I love to make, so combining that with Christmas was something I knew had to be done, and be done well. After mentioning my ideas to a few people at the beginning, I knew I couldn't turn back. Not that they would be disappointed in me, my friends have always been such a huge support to me, but I didn't want to let myself down. I am never too short of a good idea, but sometimes having the motivation to actually do something is a lot harder to find and keep hold of. 2017 has been the perfect year when it comes to my blog, and I knew having 24 days of complete blogmas would be the only way to finish the year in the right way.

One of the aspects I really wanted to explore during blogmas was to collaborate with brands, and I absolutely did it. I pitched my ideas to Minerva Crafts and The Fabric Fox, and I was over the moon when they both loved my ideas and wanted to see it come to life. It's the first time I had really pitched to any brand, and seeing them as interested as they were just made me feel so good. Using their materials and fabrics gave me the chance to make my felt gingerbread, and Christmas stocking garland, and I even sent them the finished product not only as a thank you gift, but also because I was so happy with them. It goes to show, it doesn't always matter how big or small your following is when it comes to working with brands, if they can see potential and passion behind your ideas, they will go for it.

Talking of brands, Printiki* were kind enough to offer me some prints, and me being as sentimental as I am, I, of course, wanted to print my blogmas photographs. You have a number of print sizes and designs, but I chose a simple square design on matte paper. The quality is great, and the service was super fast too. I'm definitely going to be scrapbooking these and creating a really personal keepsake. If would would like to try Printiki, use voucher code GKK7S2UP for free shipping.

If you're a regular to my blog, you'll know I'm constantly saying that this particular post is my favourite. It's always hard to pick which one I love the most, because I love them all, but I'm going to pick a few of my favourite things about my blogmas posts. My chocolate Oreo brownies would have to be my favourite post because it was the very first post I had finished, and it was the only bake I had to do twice. This was way back in October and even though I had 2 months to try again, I was certain my blogmas would be a disaster from then on. I made the brownies again, which turned out perfect, and I never doubted myself again. My favourite set of photographs are for my churros cupcakes. Yes, they tasted amazing, but I have made cupcakes every year for Christmas, and seeing the progression in not only my baking, but my photography style is outstanding.

This is my last post of 2017, and I'm so glad I can end the year in such a positive way. Like I said, blogmas to me was more than just creating the content. It has taught me so much about myself, and it's been a long time since I never put any doubt on myself. If I would have told myself last December this is how blogmas 2017 would be, I would never have believed it in a million years. It's crazy how much things can change in a single year. I can't wait to take these realisations, and a few others, into the new year.

• I can do absolutely anything if I put my mind to it.
• I want to blog more creative things. It's the thing I love most, and I want to share my passion with all of you, and hopefully encourage you to have a go too.
• I want to start making and selling my work.
• You don't need a huge following to work with brands.

I'm making sure 2018 is going to be the year of me.

I'm taking three weeks off blogging, but this is going to be continued...

See you in 2018, and thank you for all the comments and support you've given me, especially on those days where I'd been up all night writing posts and planning ideas. It gave me the boost to keep going. Let me know in the comments below if you took part in blogmas, and what was your biggest accomplishment. If you've been keeping up-to-date with my posts, please let me know which are your favourites.

*This product was sent to me by Printiki. By using the free delivery code, I will earn free photo credit. You can read my full disclaimer policy here.