While my 2022 wasn’t quite as memorable as my 2021, it also had quite a few highlights. I started off the year working in a role that I knew I couldn’t maintain for much longer. By the end of the year, I was doing something that truly made me happy.
Throughout 2022, I embroidered exactly 365 unique icons (with only one known repeat!). These icons usually highlight the most memorable thing that happened each day. While typically this was something good or neutral, I did have quite a few rough days in the first half of the year. If you’re looking to start your very own embroidery journal, you can find the resources to do so in my Etsy.
January
2022 started off on a high note – my flatmate and I spent January 1st in our pajamas watching every Shrek film.
I experienced my first snow. Being from Southern California, it’s not something I was ever really able to experience growing up. Throughout the month, I worked a fair amount, read a ton of books, and was able to see my boyfriend, Sam, a couple of times. I also attempted and failed at teaching myself to crochet.
February
Looking at my month, most of my icons relate back to working at the hotel. I was starting to get a bit stressed with my position – I was working some overnight shifts. After one overnight shift, my flatmate dragged me out to Loch Lomond, because apparently I “needed to get out”. She was correct. The day truly breathed a bit of life back into me.
March
March was a bit of a blur. I worked a ten day stretch at the hotel at one point. After that stretch, I was able to go see Sam in Dundee.
I was exhausted, but I had something to look forward to. Towards the end of the month, I flew back to California. It had been 9 months since I had last seen my family. While not that long, it was still the longest I had ever been without seeing them.
April
I started off April in Huntington Beach, CA. I was in town for my older brother’s wedding. In the lead up, I was able to go to the bridal shower and assist in some wedding prep. I spent a fair amount of my time catching up with friends and family over meals. I even spent a day in Corona Del Mar, laying out on the sand. It was sad leaving California, but I found myself missing Glasgow and was happy to be going home.
Once home in Glasgow, I immediately took off to catch up with Sam over donuts.
May
May started off strong with my 27th birthday. My flatmate and I went out for afternoon tea in order to celebrate.
Later in the month, Sam and I went to Oban for a quick getaway together. We went for a walk on the island of Kerrera to see the castle and passed hundreds of sheep along the way.
Throughout the month of May, I put up with quite a lot at work. I dealt with more guest complaints than I ever had, working in the working in the hospitality industry and I was at a point where I actively dreaded going to work each day. After weighing my options, I decided to put in my notice at the hotel and pursue my business full time.
June
My last couple of weeks at the hotel weren’t the best. We dealt with quite a few understaffed shifts and complaints from guests. It felt like if something could go wrong, it would. If the smallest of issues occurred during a guest’s stay, it seemed to make most of them snap at you.
Once I left the hotel, I gave myself a couple of days to relax (mostly by reading) and then got started on writing my Create Your Own Embroidery Journal Guide. I honestly spent the entire second half of June just focused on my business.
July
In early July, I launched my first product on Etsy – The Create Your Own Embroidery Journal Guide. I was even able to have a pop up stall in a local tea shop. Throughout July, I had quite a lot of fun figuring out different ways that I could grow my business.
I also spent more time with my friends and Sam. At one point, Sam decided to run me a bath where I promptly fainted after climbing out of it – not my finest moment
August
In early August, I celebrated my first year of living in the UK by taking myself out to lunch.
My flatmate and I also spent a day in Edinburgh at Fringe Fest and saw quite a few great comics.
I also took a week off to spend it with Sam. In running my own business, I really don’t take time off or give myself weekends (I know, it’s bad, don’t you start too). So we both took a week off and spent it together in Dundee. I was able to meet his family for the first time and we spent a night in Inverness.
September
I spent September developing some new products for my Etsy store and maintained the business. I also launched my Embroidery Journaling Facebook Group.
Towards the end of the month, Sam and I celebrated our first anniversary together by going for Afternoon Tea together in St. Andrews.
October
In October, I did something that I had been considering since starting my business – I launched Embroidery Journal Kits. They were a bit of a pain to put together, but I loved the process.
In the middle of the month, I went to Stirling Castle with a couple of friends and was able to revisit the amazing Unicorn Tapestries.
Towards the end of the month, my parents came out to Glasgow all the way from California. I was able to introduce them to Sam, take them out to a couple of meals, and they were able to see me at my first market.
November
My parents stayed in Glasgow for a few more days. I was even able to take them to Edinburgh to see the castle and some museums. From there, the three of us went down to England to visit quite a lot of family members, attend a family reunion, museums, and more.
Once I was back in Glasgow, I set right back off to work. I had orders to ship, new projects to work on, and a facebook group to manage.
December
My business really picked up a fair amount in December. Since it’s focused on Embroidery Journals and they typically start on January 1st, this was a bit expected. My Embroidery Journaling Facebook Group started growing rapidly as more people learned about it. I even worked two markets during the month.
As for Christmas, it was spent with Sam and his family as I took some much needed time away from my business. I was also desperately trying to hit my reading goal of 70 books for the year, which I managed to reach just before December 31st.
Overall, I loved that my embroidery journal was one of the few constants in my life throughout 2022. Now that it’s finished, it’s amazing being able to see a representation of my year in just a single glance. It’s not just the highlights that are represented, it’s the mundane days of non-stop work that are highlighted as well.
Over the course of my year, I really focused on enjoying my time. I set myself goals which I aimed to achieve or even exceed. I left a job that I just wasn’t enjoying, but I left having made so many wonderful friends. And the whole time, I had Sam by my side. Recently, I was asked which icon represented Sam. My only response that I could conjure up was that there were too many to list.
Thank you to all that have followed along for another year of my embroidery journal. Let’s get started for 2023!
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