Dear readers,

To state the obvious, it hasn’t been a very prolific blogging year for me.  Working 50 to 60 hours a week all year wiped me out. After making time for exercise and bonding time with those I care about, I wasn’t left with much bandwidth for blog reading and writing. I basically fell off the grid. It turns out running your own business, while super rewarding, can leave you pretty time poor.

But I really miss blogging and I’ve been trying to figure out a way to come back to it. I was overwhelmed by the number of blogs I was trying to read, Twitter feeds I was trying to follow and email lists I had subscribed to, so I drastically pared those down. Now that I’ve cut down on the noise, maybe I’ll better be able to focus on my own content?  What are your own methods for keeping up a productive blog?

I’m a little rusty, I won’t lie. In fact I think this post is awkward. But I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a fantastic new year. Thanks for sticking around.

Photo: Rummey Bears

The Boo and I had tons of fun at Dîner en Blanc last night, a yearly outdoor dinner in Montreal based on the French event that’s been happening for the past 20 years. The rules were pretty strict: dress all in white from head to toe, and bring your own table, chairs and place settings, all to be white. The effect was lovely: 3,000 people all dining in white in a public square downtown. Dinner was followed by a dance party! Despite all of the organization required, I’m happy we went.

This is the sort of bike a grandma would ride. But I like it! Missoni for Target.

Created by Proud Creative, the rebranding of British seaside town Rhyl caught my eye. The retro style shapes are meant to mimic the town’s coastline, and the colours, to evoke a British seaside holiday.  See more details about the project here. Thanks to Design Work Life for sharing.