Hundred

I’m so excited to blog my 100th post on WordPress today! I started this blog three and a half years ago when I was getting ready to open the doors of my stationery gift shop in the UK. Thinking back on that time of my life always brings the biggest smile to my face. I believe it was the fearlessness of venturing out into a brand new direction with my business that gave me the strength to actually pull it off, I simply had to do it and there was nothing that was going to stop me. The story of how my shop came about deserves a blog post of its own and I’ll be glad to share that with you some other time but for me, even today, my business still brings so much joy and satisfaction to my life that I cannot imagine what I would be doing if it wasn’t for Graceful Avenue!

When I first drew Mishka the panda I didn’t know how he would be received and of course I was apprehensive about sharing my drawings with the world through a retail outlet, but the people of Watford quickly diminished any self doubt I had. Customers came into my shop to buy something that I had illustrated by hand, something that I put my heart and soul into. They were investing their money in my work and to date I am honestly so grateful for each and every customer at market stalls or online who connects with my products and supports me as an illustrator and small business owner. Thank you all so much!

Today was Labour Day here in Melbourne, so I decided I’m going to throw a mini celebration in honour of my 100th blog post. So I packed a small backpack with balloons, soap bubbles and panda ears (I couldn’t resist!) and convinced my sister to come along and photograph me with my 3D Mishka. It was so fun to just be silly for a few hours without a care in the world! It was truly just what I needed.

Thank you to new and old friends for coming along with me on this crazy journey in cyber space! Happy 100th!