2020 was the year that lots of projects that were “supposed to happen” fell by the wayside…for better or for worse. Normally I would go into the new year with very lofty goals. But to be honest, last year really tested me (and all of us). It changed how we view ourselves, our families, and the world. So this year for me is really about seeing through some of the things that never happened in 2020 (and the things I still want to see through). One of those projects was our updated website which I’m excited to finally share with you now! Here’s what you can look forward to over here this year and new things you can find on our brand new site:

New logo…
I never thought that I would change or update my logo as I always advocate for designing something for your business that will last over time. When I designed the original Oh Joy! logo in 2005, I was in my late 20’s and just starting my business with no idea what it would become. It has served us so well. But here we are 15 years years later, and it was time for the a refresh! After a life-changing year—both personally and professionally—I have a better idea of who I am (and who my brand is) now. So it made sense to give our new website a new logo at the same time. I worked with my friend Cleo of Project M+ to help redesign the Oh Joy! logo and this entire new site.

Waaaay Better functionality…
You can now sort our 15 years of posts by category and sub-category if you’re looking for particular topics. Or, if you’re coming for something specific, our search function (top right) will find it for you! Our previous search was a full disaster due to the limitations of our former blog hosting platform. I’m so happy that now when you search, you’ll see results that match as well as a visual preview of the post or item! We’ve been working closely with our long-time programmers at Deko to get the site up and running smoothly!

My house reveal…
Finally! (I know!). After sharing process and plans with you starting back in 2018, I had expected that 2020 would be the year I could show you what came of all those years of hard work. But 2020 wasn’t the right time for several reasons (logistically and emotionally), and I’m excited that you’ll finally get to see the culmination of the six years it took to build my family’s first (and forever) home. Feel free to take a look back at the journey, and get ready for reveals coming very soon!

Everyday Style Posts…
With COVID-19 still being very real and present, I have been very limited in working with our freelancers in the past year. Which means I haven’t done the types of style posts like I’ve done in the past. Most of my photos are by me and on my phone. They are not as professional or as finessed as if we could have our photographer here all the time, but we’re making do! In an effort to help you find items that are the same or similar to the outfits I show, you’ll be able to Shop The Look within future blog posts or in the Daily Looks section.

A Shop Section…
Although we closed our actual online shop last year, my love for sharing my favorite things with you still remains. If you click on “Shop” above in the main navigation, you’ll find all of our Oh Joy! products as well as a curation of my favorite things in a mix of categories and a range of price points. All of those items allow you to click over to the site you can buy them from. For some of those items, we do use affiliate links which means that we earn a commission if you purchase it!

All the Things I Still Love and Want to Share…
As the Oh Joy! team is the smallest we have been in a decade, we’re operating the blog in a similar way as it began…from the gut. As I have ideas I’m inspired by and want to share with you, you’ll see them here. We no longer have a set editorial calendar, but there will always be new content here every week. It will be a mix things I love (as it’s always been)—including home decor and fashion inspiration, highlighting makers and other small businesses, small business guidance and tips from me, and announcements on Oh Joy! products and launches. We will continue to focus heavily on supporting BIPOC and women-owned businesses. We will continue to create sponsored content both here and on social media as that supports all of the other work we can do for you at no cost. If there’s anything else you want to see from me here, please leave a comment below!

Also, as the site is brand new and some kinks are still being worked out, feel free to tell us in the comments if you see anything that seems missing or works weird—we are open to all your comments!

Thank you for being here! Your support means the world to me…