It's here!!!! Today marks one year of The Smiling Sweetheart. Welcome, welcome! Thank you for stopping by today and celebrating with me <3

When I was thinking of how I wanted to celebrate my "blogiversary" I reached out to some of my closest friends because I was completely empty of inspiration. All I knew was that I wanted to do an exciting and different photoshoot. Something more focused on celebration, versus the details of an outfit like I normally do. Reaching out to my squad was my best decision. They gave me the epic idea of re-wearing my very first "Style" look from when I first launched The Smiling Sweetheart (See Here). Essentially, The Smiling Sweetheart's birthday suit: an outfit marking the beginning of one hell of a ride.

Check out The Smiling Sweetheart's birthday suit in October 2016 (Shot by @photographybyyasmeen) and in October 2017 (Shot by @califerniaphotography) below, along with my look back at this past year.

This past year, I grew more than I ever did my four years of college, and boy, I grew a lot during that time. This past year has taught me so much about the world of blogging and marketing, along with entrepreneurialism, people online, people in my life, and most of all myself. It has been an incredibly impactful experience and I wanted to give thanks to the following people that have taken part in it.

First off, I just want to thank my parents for always believing in me and seeing so much in me. Thank you for supporting me through everything and all of my goals. And thank you to my photographer, sister, and best friend. Seriously, The Smiling Sweetheart would be nothing without you.

Thank you, to all the people that I have been so blessed to have met through the blogging and fashion community. So many of you have been uplifting, supportive and collaborative and have taught me what it truly means to add value to an industry. And, to the ones I've gotten to work with and collaborate with, thank you so very much for being an absolute pleasure to work with.

Thank you to my Circle of Awesomeness. My friends, you know exactly who you are, who catch me whenever I'm doubting myself and lift me up. Who literally (yes, literally) cheer me on every single day and support every “out there” idea that I have. Who show up and remind me of my worth and value my feelings. I love you, may God always keep you happy and healthy.

To every company, small and big, that I've had the privilege of working with. Thank you for reaching out to me and collaborating with me. It has been an absolute pleasure working and creating with on my journey you so far. Thank you so much for every opportunity.

And, to YOU. Every comment, question, and message you have sent me here or on social media does not go unnoticed. This past year has been such a blast because I've gotten to talk to you and get to know you! Thank you for your support and love. I hope The Smiling Sweetheart can continue to be a source of love, inspiration, positivity, and motivation for you.

In celebration, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite moments in "Style" and "Life & Soul" this past year.

What were your favorite moments?

A Year In Review

Scroll through my favorite "Style" and "Life & Soul" moments from The Smiling Sweetheart's first year.

It's hard for me to pick just one look/style moment, they were all so fun to create and shoot. From shooting content for Torrid, to spending A Day In The Desert, to styling #MyCurvesMyWay with Dear John Denim, to DIY-ing a leather jacket, to celebrating my 23rd birthday in style, to curating my Thanksgiving Outfit Series, to figuring out what to wear to the snow, to seeing looks I styled on Forever 21, this year has been full of creativity, color, and collaboration.

One "Life & Soul" moment that really stood out to me as I looked back on this year was my "It Starts Within" series. A series highlighting women of all backgrounds bringing you their tips and tricks on feeling good, fostering a happy mind, and most of all, embracing every single thing that makes you, YOU. It was such a positive and impactful experience collaborating with Siddeeqah Shaikh, the founder of Curves and Cravings, Bronwen Goodbar, blogger of All Kinds Of Me and Anita, writer of Natia's Niche.

What's different about The Smiling Sweetheart Dot Com? Well, it's got a new site design (and logo!) Woot Woot. I worked on making the site a lot easier for you to navigate and work around. Below are some differences you may notice and questions you may have =)

What is "The Rundown"? The Rundown is essentially a summation of all that The Smiling Sweetheart has to offer (see below) in one place for your ease.

Style

Essence*

Coffee Shop Chronicles + Travel

Music

*What is "Essence"? Essence includes all the things, thoughts, ideas, and methods that I hope to share with you in helping you feel best internally. From sharing personal experiences to my journey with body positivity, Essence will cover it all!
What is the "Archive"? This can be found towards the bottom of the Home page and it is a capability that allows you to view older Style posts by the month.
Will you still be posting on the blog every Wednesday? Yes! Wednesday's are still my blog post days and you can expect a post here every week on that day! PLUS, you will see occasional posts on Fridays.
If you're curious about anything else, peep my FAQ page, hit me up in the comments section below or shoot me an email via my Contact page.
Would LOVE to hear from you!

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Thank you so much for taking the time to check out The Smiling Sweetheart's one-year anniversary. Sending you love, virtual hugs, and a really good cup of coffee.

See you Wednesday!

Mona, The Smiling Sweetheart

PHOTOGRAPHY

A million thank you's to Ferheen, @califerniaphotography, for hearing out my vision for this shoot and bringing it to life. It was an absolute blast getting to work with you! To view Ferheen's photography, click here.

MAKEUP

For anyone wondering about this EPIC glam, all the credit goes to my exceptionally talented best friend, Summer. Thank you so much, Summer, for taking my ideas and creating something that gave my face life.

One Year Of The Smiling Sweetheart: A Year In Review