Happy Three Year Anniversary, In a Nutshell!

Three. Years.

Seems hard to believe that an idea built over a few glasses of wine has turned into a blog people bookmark, share, see on television.

More than that, it’s given five souls, separated by distance and conflicting schedules, a place to share ideas, special moments and creativity.

When it comes to nutshell, there’s one thing I hope we say often. It’s the reason why, despite crazy work and social lives, we continue to come up with content. And that  is: Thank you. Thank you for reading, reposting, encouraging and supporting. These words truly do not seem like enough to express our collective thanks for all those times someone makes an effort to tell us how much they loved a particular post, the blog in general, or even better, the glimpse into a very special friendship.

It’s that support, and that friendship, that has propelled us through years one through three and will continue to push us, hopefully, for many years to come.

To celebrate, this year, we decided to throw it back to a little madlib detailing some favourites, challenges and ideas for the future.

As always, thanks for reading … in a nutshell.

KAYLEE:

My favourite nutshell moment ever was: There have been so many, but I have to say a moment I will never forget is the day we sat in my kitchen and crafted our “About Us“. We were so excited to get things going and our minds were racing with ideas for the future. I can’t believe that was only 3 years ago… so much has changed in our lives since then!

Best change we made in the last three years: The biggest change we made was our website re-design which allows us to use impactful images and show off more of our posts on the homepage. I also LOVE that we are so active on social media, despite having so many personal commitments, we still manage to keep them up to date (FOLLOW US!)

Favourite post I wrote in year 3: Undoubtedly this would have to be my post on one of my favourite weekends of last summer, which was Gentleman of the Road. We got some really great response from Simcoe’s locals and other festival-goers who enjoyed it just as thoroughly! (see comments!)

Favourite post someone else wrote in year 3: I loved Catherine’s yoga challenge post. Firstly, she is hilarious. Secondly, she did an amazing thing that I could never imagine doing. 

The hardest thing about blogging is: Finding the time. It is astounding how much time goes into one post. We are all perfectionists, so one post can take up several hours to complete. It’s all worth it in the end!

What I’m most proud of when it comes to nutshell: The people I do it with! It is incredible how much we chat throughout a day, and nutshell brings us all that much closer together, despite being in different cities. I’m also incredibly proud of our Ottawa nuts who have become regulars on CTV! 

One big idea I have for the year ahead is: It’s not “BIG” per say, but I hope we can all start being comfortable with posts that are short and sweet. It can become daunting to post once a week when they are so lengthy. This way, we’ll keep our content fresh, consistent and easy to read on lunch hour!

Three words that sum up how I feel about nutshell: Proud. Fulfilled. Devoted.

Two words that sum up how I feel about the women who write it: Obsessed & grateful.

JESS:

My favourite nutshell moment ever was: The time we made t-shirts, wore them and shamelessly pranced around a hip-hop concert making it rain with our business cards.

Best change we made in the last three years: Obviously the redesign was an excellent call (big props to Phil Adrien!), but also realizing which types of posts worked and which didn’t. We maintain open discussions about what feels right for the blog, and have learned to write only what’s meaningful to us.

Favourite post I wrote in year 3: Probably “The Art of the Staycation” – because, unless I freelance a magazine article, Nutshell is my only outlet to write about non-music things. Although I love a good music post (obv), it’s a welcome departure to be able to write a lifestyle piece about something else that impassions me or peaks my interest. I also love the chance to take photographs.

Favourite post someone else wrote in year 3: Hard to pick! Everyone contributed such amazing things. I really loved Kaylee’s Snapshots from Milan Fashion Week – because when would any of us have the chance to see the inside of Milan Fashion Week otherwise? It wasn’t too copy-heavy – yet was full of fascinating content that made me want to scroll through.

The hardest thing about blogging is: Actually posting the post. I find that writing it is no problem, but I can be a bit of a perfectionist – so, the amount of back-end work that goes into actually uploading and finalizing each post can be the most time consuming. Photo sizing, placement, formatting, uploading, embedding, editing and more; what we do before we click “Publish” is no small task, folks.

What I’m most proud of when it comes to nutshell: That five best friends had a brainwave, and three years later it’s still going – regardless of distance, schedules or other endeavors. I think the only reason it hasn’t fallen apart has nothing to do with our love of blogging – it’s actually because we love and care for each other so much.

One big idea I have for the year ahead is: Video production, baby. Mama’s got some tricks up her sleeves.

Three words that sum up how I feel about nutshell: Barrel of fun.

Two words that sum up how I feel about the women who write it: Soul. Mates.

MEGHAN:

My favourite nutshell moment ever was: A few years back, we had a Christmas slumber party and it was the best and most ridiculous night. We videotaped ourselves singing a variety of Christmas carols and drank way too much wine. We literally sang carols at the top of our lungs for hours until we started getting concerned we would get noise complaints… That Boxing Day blooper post is still something I watch on the regular.

Best change we made in the last three years: Re-launching our website with a fresh image. The new design that Phil helped us execute is SO much more appealing and really reflects our blog as a whole.

Favourite post I wrote in year 3: Tips for Hosting the Ultimate Halloween Party

Favourite post someone else wrote in year 3: #TwentyFiveandStillAlive 

The hardest thing about blogging is: Continuously coming up with ideas to blog about! I don’t always want to turn to the same topics. I’m always wracking my brain for things that interest me and hope that our readers feel the same way! Luckily recipes are always abundant so I can take readers into my kitchen if I’m not feeling inspired to write!

What I’m most proud of when it comes to nutshell: I’m really proud that an idea that was thought up over glasses of wine has lasted this long and is still going strong. We’ve gone through many significant life changes since that fateful winter evening in 2011. When this blog started we were 22, fresh university graduates and all living in Ottawa. Now, we’re spread across 3 cities, growing our careers and have hit the quarter-century mark. We’ve grown up and this blog has grown up with us. I’m proud of the work we put into it and that it’s stood the test of time, despite the fact that it could have easily fallen apart by now.

One big idea I have for the year ahead is: to blog about something personal; my experiences from purchasing my first home. As the first nut to purchase a home, I’ve been encouraged to share my experiences with our readers who might be contemplating the same thing.

Three words that sum up how I feel about nutshell: Excited, challenged and proud

Two words that sum up how I feel about the women who write it: Beautiful and brilliant

KATE:

My favourite nutshell moment ever was: The day we sat together in Jess’s apartment, over a few (too many?) bottles of wine and brainstormed our baby into existence!

Best change we made in the last three years: The best change I’ve noticed on the ‘shell would have to be the ways in which we have all grown as writers and bloggers. Looking back to the first-ever posts is almost cringe-worthy but it’s wonderful to see how far we have come since.

Favourite post I wrote in year 3:   My favourite kind of post to write, above all else, is a restaurant review (or I suppose anything to do with food). And, of the new restaurants I tried this year, I would have to say I was most impressed by El Camino. Everything about this new addition to the Ottawa food scene appeals to me and, looking back on the review I gave it in June 2013, I’m easily reminded why.

Favourite post someone else wrote in year 3: One of my favourite posts this year was Catherine’s Falling for The Falls: A first timer’s guide to Niagara. This post I hold near and dear as it allows me to relive the most fabulous weekend of wine-sipping, bike-riding and casino-hopping in picturesque Niagara, with one of my best friends. She used captivating images, anecdotal references and, as always, her humorous writing style shines through.

The hardest thing about blogging is: Writing a post when your heart isn’t in it. It’s difficult to share very personal and private moments on the blogosphere and writing about something else when you’re dealing with the twist and turns of life is challenging.

What I’m most proud of when it comes to nutshell: I’m proud of our most recent decision to revitalize inanutshell. It’s easy to give up, but we girls of the ‘shell were never ones to take the path of least resistance. One big idea I have for the year ahead is: I would like to see posts, especially my own, become more relatable to our readers. We are five women going through the same things that everyone else is: in life, in love, in work, in play. It’s about making a connection through ideas that resonate.

Three words that sum up how I feel about nutshell: blog or die

Two words that sum up how I feel about the women who write it: nailed it.

CAT:

My favourite nutshell moment ever was: our photo-shoot in 2011. Like so many times in the past, we were having brunch, strolling down Ottawa streets, laughing and being awkward – but this time we had a professional photographer around to capture it all.

Best change we made in the last three years: The re-design in 2012 was huge and deserves a shout out, but I’m going to go with dropping posting every day. It seems hard to believe, but at first we posted 7 days a week!  Aiming for 5 is not only more realistic, given our insane schedules, but allows us to put more time and effort into each post.

Favourite post I wrote in year 3: My favourite kinds of posts are introspective and personal, so I’ve gotta go with #TwentyFiveandStillAlive. Not only did it speak to some of the anxieties a few of us nuts were having, but I got a lot of positive feedback from people saying it helped them through a tough time, too. That is truly the best.

Favourite post someone else wrote in year 3: It’s too hard to pick, and I made the madlib, so I’m going to cheat and pick one for each of my babes:

Jess: Confessions of a Yoga Virgin - I love Jess’s music posts, but I also love when she explores other interests. This was not only a perfect example of that but super relatable.
Kaylee: Lessons From a Spontaneous Weekend - Kaylee and her boyfriend, Nick, kill me with how awesomely spontaneous they are. This post truly made my heart happy.
Kate: Eatery Hopping – Kate knows about new restaurants before they even open. It’s awesome and in this post she used her creativity to show off some of Ottawa’s best spots.
Meg: 2013, In a Nutshell - Meg put so much hard work into this post and was so complimentary to each of us. A true testament to her character.

The hardest thing about blogging is: How time consuming it is. Way more than anyone could imagine, I’m sure. Thinking up the idea, writing it, finding pictures, uploading them to our site, posting on social media – it’s a good chunk of your day!!

What I’m most proud of when it comes to nutshell: How much people like it. It sounds silly, but when we dreamed this up, I would have never thought all my male friends would read it, that I would have people I haven’t seen in years tell me how much they love it or strangers that recognize us from being on CTV. It’s humbling and wonderful.

One big idea I have for the year ahead is: Like Jess, I think videos could be a huge addition to nutshell. Again, even more time consuming, but so much fun at the same time. Stay tuned.

Three words that sum up how I feel about nutshell: Proud. Humbled. Cherished.

Two words that sum up how I feel about the women who write it: Life changers.