Happy 1st Birthday, TNTP!! A look back.

My oh my how time flies. I cannot believe The Neon Tea Party is a whole year old today. I did not realize when launching this little site right here just how quickly a year would pass, and something tells me this coming year will go by even faster.

To celebrate what has truly been the most exciting and challenging year of my life, I’m rounding up my proudest achievements since TNTP’s inception. Those of you who have been following TNTP since the beginning will recognize these moments. Those of you who are new-ish to TNTP, I encourage you to click through some of the links below and catch up on what you’ve missed!

I want to thank each and every one of you who has read my posts, followed my neon adventures on Instagram, connected me with a cool friend, attended a class or event, made a purchase, or simply shared a kind compliment or constructive feedback. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, The Neon Tea Party would be NOTHING without all your love and support!

I also want to give an extra special shoutout to the person who inspired me to pursue this dream in the first place and continues to encourage me every day: my hubby, Sam. Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate falling in love with someone who would see the method in all my madness. I’ll never forget the day you told me to go for it, and we haven’t looked back since. Thank you for being my biggest cheerleader, my marketing guru, and for allowing me to fill our little home with bright colors and crazy patterns. You are something else.

Okay, are you ready to go back in time? Let’s do this!

NOVEMBER | First giveaway with The Catrinka Project + first fashion shoot with Becca Siegel Photo

My giveaway with The Catrinka Project was the first time I worked with a brand and the first time I needed good photos. My dear friend Becca did the honors and we’ve been partnering on playful content ever since!

JANUARY | Brand ambassadorship with Woman Shops World

I was so thrilled to be accepted to Woman Shops World’s call for brand ambassadors who could showcase the versatility of their exquisite array of globally sourced craft supplies. Above are three of my favorite projects: tinsel tassel earrings, a pom pom swag chandelier, and a yoga mat strap made from Indian sari trim. Our partnership is almost too perfect to be true and we continue to partner on fabulous DIY content to this day!

APRIL | Sponsored partnership with Cotton Inc.

When Cotton Inc. reached out to me about partnering on DIY content for their blog, I was floored and promptly enlisted the help of another good friend and photographer Christina. These three denim-inspired DIYs are still some of my favorite projects yet. I wear the jean jacket and jeans ALL the time!

MAY | Becoming a Jammaster at CraftJam!

When I decided to pursue TNTP as a business, I knew I needed to add revenue streams. Teaching craft classes seemed like the perfect way to share my love of DIY while meeting new people and spreading the TNTP gospel. (Shoutout to any readers who were Jammers first!) I am so grateful to CraftJam for not only hiring me as a Jammaster but also for sharing my love of pom poms and launching The Ultimate Pom Pom Experience class. Additionally, I now teach different macrame classes and hope to be adding more craft classes to my roster soon. You can view all my upcoming CraftJams here!

AUGUST | Launching The Neon Bazaar (+ being featured on Brit + Co!)

Another revenue stream I knew I wanted to pursue for TNTP was an online shop where I could sell my handmade goodies. Even though I was in my final weeks of wedding planning, I decided to launch an online store, The Neon Bazaar, before the summer was out. While there is much work to be done in expanding e-comm marketing efforts, creating an online platform is half the battle and I’m SO proud to have the foundation set. Fortunately, the effort did not go unnoticed and The Neon Bazaar’s launch was covered by Brit + Co! This is my first major piece of media coverage and I am still in shock that it happened.

ALSO AUGUST | Pom pom demonstration on LittleThings’ Facebook LIVE

This opportunity came out of no where. Media company LittleThings was looking for a pom pom instructor for their DIY segment Hands On and found me thanks to the internet. (Love ya, internet!) The experience filming a pom pom demonstration was beyond cool and the 1-hour Facebook LIVE taping was viewed by close to 100,000 people in total. Crazy right?! You can watch the whole segment here.

OCTOBER | Launching Global Goodies on The Neon Bazaar

This is a goal I did not expect to accomplish in 2017, so I’m extra grateful to be able to include it in this round-up. As a globally-inspired brand, including international goods has always been part of my plan and, thanks to our honeymoon in Mexico, I’ve already been able to add an array of unique and colorful items to The Neon Bazaar!

These are just the top of the top of the many exciting moments I’ve been fortunate to experience this past year. What’s on deck for year two? Better photography for ALL my content, more craft classes (hopefully some outside of NYC!), apartment renovation content, more handmade goodies, and hopefully contributing to other DIY blogs. Those are only the things I can anticipate – who can guess what surprises will come our way?! All I know is that TNTP is ready for it all!

Peace, love & neon,
Marisa