Enough babbling and on with the top 10. These are in no particular order at all.
1. First trip to NYC.
I absolutely loved New York, as I knew I would! I felt completely like "this is where I belong" in East Village. I took so many photographs that I still haven't edited them all.2. Ann Arbor/Justy visit
My large "Swings" photograph was in the University of Michigan Alumni Show called "Interstices: The Spaces Between." It was an honor. And my best friend, Justy, flew out with her family from Colorado the same weekend. We went to the Ann Arbor Art Fair without children in tow (a first), got caught outside during a tornado (seriously), and almost missed the opening. 
The next day we went to Detroit and the kids played in the fountains in front of the Ren Cen, had fun at Campus Martius, and we ate in Greektown. It was great!
3. Fox 2 Commercial
It hasn't aired yet (it's supposed to be on after the holidays so hopefully soon) but I got to be in a Fox 2 Weather Authority commercial spot. They came to shoot a house with me and shot me doing my virtual tour then asked me a bunch of questions. It was really fun.
4. Motorcycle Ride
I'd never been on a motorcycle before but always wanted to so when my brother sold his before I got a chance to ride it I was pretty bummed. Luckily our neighbor has a sweet as hell harley and he took me for a ride on it. I loved every minute!5. Modeling
I got to model in not one but 2 super cool runway shows! The first one was for charity in Clawson and was put on by 808 resale. I got to wear the coolest vintage boots. The second show was for designer Matthew Richmond and it took place on the streets of Royal Oak. The dresses were all eco friendly and made from materials like magazines and plastic bags. After the runway show we did a professional shoot too.
(Oh yeah--I bought and kept those rad shoes.)6. Skateboarding
I don't know what it is but I've always been fascinated by skateboarding. I wanted to learn but didn't really have anyone to teach me. So I picked up a few skateboards at a rummage sale, brought them to a parking lot and taught myself. Now whether or not I'll remember it all in the spring is another story. But I didn't fall once and actually got pretty good on it. My goal for 2011 is to learn to do some jumps and tricks.
7. Catching up with old friends, making new onesThis year was the year of social networking and I have to say I love it. I've made so many new connections on there, both personally and professionally but also was able to reconnect with a lot of friends from the past. Facebook rocks. And twitter has been pretty incredible as well. I now have over 5,000 followers and have built some pretty cool relationships with it.
8. Photography and Jewelry
With this new found freedom/metamorphosis my art has really gone in an exciting direction as well. I think my photographs have gotten edgy and more creative than ever before. And the metalwork I've been doing excites me to no end. I created my first bezel this past week and I can't wait to push it even farther.
Plus I found the antique typewriter of my dreams this past summer at a garage sale. The proceeds went to charity too--bonus.9. DIY Ferndale
This was my first outdoor festival and I absolutely loved it. The people were great, I sold a lot, and it meant so much to me to have so many people see my work and tell me how much they appreciate it. All the shows I have been doing have been incredible in building my business. I have people recognize Lilacpop all the time and I get emails asking for custom work or where they can find my stuff in stores. I've even had customers come to shows wearing something they bought from me at a previous one. How rewarding is that?
10. Yellow Door
One of the best decisions I made this year was signing up with Yellow Door Art Market in Berkley. The opening day was packed and you could feel the excitement in the air. The people in Michigan and especially the Detroit area really have banded together to support buying locally and handmade. It's awesome. I run into other artists from Yellow Door all over town and it's almost like this little artist's community, which is great to be a part of. It's also nice, since my studio is in my home, to have a place that I can send people to pick up a custom necklace or photos. I am most certainly renewing my lease that is up soon and hopefully extending it for the next year!
I cannot wait to see what 2011 has in store!
10. Yellow DoorOne of the best decisions I made this year was signing up with Yellow Door Art Market in Berkley. The opening day was packed and you could feel the excitement in the air. The people in Michigan and especially the Detroit area really have banded together to support buying locally and handmade. It's awesome. I run into other artists from Yellow Door all over town and it's almost like this little artist's community, which is great to be a part of. It's also nice, since my studio is in my home, to have a place that I can send people to pick up a custom necklace or photos. I am most certainly renewing my lease that is up soon and hopefully extending it for the next year!
I cannot wait to see what 2011 has in store!