An unconventional fashion blogger trying to find her place on the internet

As one year ends and another begins, you’ll see (or already have seen) a mass of bloggers unite in making resolutions/plans for the upcoming year – and I’m going to jump on that bandwagon today, because it’s a great way for all of us to track our progress and motivate us to smash life. And in sync with many of my previous posts, I’m going to put it in a list (because we all love lists – you, your mum, dad, brother, sister, auntie, uncle, granny, grandad etc.);

1. 2018 is going to be a HUGE year for me personally as I will be marrying Aaron and becoming Mrs Gabrielle Anne ALBON! That’s the first time I’ve shared my new name on here and typing it out feels incredibly strange, but also really nice! I’m going to be changing everything in my life (passport, bills, driving licence, payslips, social media – basically everything) into my new name. I’m really glad I cut out my current surname from my blog when I bought the domain this year (it used to be “The Fashion Faux Pas of Gabrielle Banner” – major mouthful for a start, but after we got engaged, I thought it apt to drop it then) as it saves me some confusion with followers lol. I’m also really excited as my mum (who I haven’t seen face to face for what will be 8 years) will be coming over from Michigan with my step-Dad, two brothers and sister for the wedding!
2. And after the wedding, obviously comes a honeymoon and we’ll be jetting off to the beautiful Bali. Our flights are all booked (mine in my new name 😳) to go a couple of days after the wedding and I cannot wait as we haven’t been abroad since Thailand where we got engaged in 2016!
3. I’m going to be continuing to grow my Etsy store My Fashion Faux Pas, dedicating more time and effort into growing the store and hopefully making some more sales! I’ve been reviewing the contents of my shop, creating videos, re-shooting photos to make my shop that little bit more special so I can finally make my first sale – let’s see where it goes!
4. I want to get a formal diagnosis for my right leg tremble from the neurologist and to get a medication to stop it from happening- I’ve been fobbed off for far too long and need to get this sorted, but have been referred to a specialist in London with a suspected movement disorder (SOMEONE BELIEVES IT’S NOT ALL IN MY HEAD!!!) The neurologist I’ve already seen thinks it might be something called PNKD/PKD (paroxysmal kinsiegenic/non-kinsiegenic dyskinesia) and having read up on it all, I’m pretty sure it’s an accurate diagnosis! So 2018 will be the first year in the last 13/14 years since this started that I should get some answers.
5. I want to start driving again – roll on 27th May 2018 when I will (hopefully) have been seizure free for one whole year. I honestly cannot explain how hard it has been to rely on others to cart me around everywhere, when I know how to drive and having to pay for a car I got out on finance for it to sit there barely being used (Aaron will use it sometimes to keep it going).
6. I’d like to start running again – I’ve missed it a lot but with everything going on health wise in my life, I kind of just… stopped? I went jogging regularly for a few months at the beginning of the year and continued until I got the pissing Hep E virus. Then it got too cold, I got anxious going out alone – I’m just reeling off all of the excuses right now lol but will be trying to give it a go again.
7. Start up YouTube again – now I really believe I’m going to stick with it this time, but am going to be going for vlogs instead of sit down videos as I think this is what was stressing me out. I’d like to capture me creating items that will be shown on My Fashion Faux Pas and just general chit chat about topics that I’ve recently uploaded on here
8. Get some brand collaborations! I’ve had one official collab this year with Carbon Coco (unpaid, but free stuff yay!) and am waiting to hear back about another one right now, so am hoping that I can expand on this more!
9. Gain a substantial follower growth. I think this point could be a whole post on it’s own, but I’d love to grow my email subscriber list, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook – basically everything, in the same way I’ve grown it so much this year.
10. And finally, I think I’d like to write a book – what about? Not a bloody clue. Would I share it? Again, not a bloody clue. I don’t think I’d delve into fiction as that’s not really my jam in terms of writing for myself (although I love reading fiction) but maybe something about life, fashion… maybe just a big old combination of everything I have on here! Who knows? It might not happen, but it’s definitely something I’d love to consider in the future!

I think ten things should do it for now – I don’t want to bore you (and myself lol) for any longer!
Have you got any exciting plans or goals for next year? Let me know in the comments below and we can all encourage each other to meet them!

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