2011: A Very Stylish Year in Review

What a phenomenal — and stylish — year it has been. As we await the arrival of 2012, I wanted to take a look back at Style Me Thrifty’s most memorable moments from 2011. And what better way to do that than to serve them up superlative-style (heey high school!).

Let’s take a walk down memory lane…

Most Popular:
Top 10 Tips for Looking Fab at a Bridal Shower
My site stats read loud & clear: women of all ages don’t know what to wear to bridal showers! Glad to know we’re in this together. Thanks for making this post so popular (all my other posts are jealous).

Most Likely to Succeed [in an Internet Search]:
“ombre nails”
Believe it or not, ombre nails was the most searched term that brought traffic to my blog. I find this pretty cool/random! Note to self: post more awkward hand photos.

Busy Bee Award:
December 21, 2011
Despite being a big week for holiday travel, December 21 was SMT’s busiest day for traffic. Thanks for logging in, even on the road, at your grandma’s house, at work! etc.

Chatty Kathy Award:
Introducing… the Spin Pin!
The comments came pouring in when I reviewed Goody’s Spin Pins. In fact, this post is also the most talked about (in person) post amongst my friends and family. Must buy stock in Goody!

Scariest Moment:
The day I joined Twitter
Jumping into the Twittersphere was not an easy decision. So many tweets, so little time. I finally decided – what the heck – and dove in head-first. Join me!

Happiest Moment of 2011:
The day I bought stylemethrifty.com
November 11 will forever hold a special spot in my heart: I finally dropped the “wordpress” from my URL and joined the big leagues with my very own URL. Yay! Thanks for a great year, all!

Happy Half Birthday to Style Me Thrifty!

I looked at the calendar today and realized, whoa, it’s already September. That means Style Me Thrifty has been part of the blogging world for exactly 6 months. When did that happen? They grow up so fast!

Cheers to half a year of blogging!

It’s been an awesome blur of late-night writing, wacky blog post brainstorming sessions, handing out hot pink business cards and receiving wonderful feedback from my readers (thank you!).

In honor of this mini-milestone, I’d like to share SMT’s 6 most popular posts from the past 6 months, in case you’ve missed any.

Please post/email/Facebook me your style questions!

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Top 6 Posts from the Past 6 Months:

1. Introducing… the Spin Pin! – I should have bought stock in Goody’s Spin Pin. This product is awesome and you girls clearly thought so, too, making this my #1 most visited post! Since writing this, I’ve discovered Mini Spin Pins, so be sure to check those out if you have finer hair.
   
2. What to Wear to a Spring (or Summer) Wedding – One of the best parts about blogging is seeing my friends wearing something that I recommended. Check out Amy below, in that adorable BCBGeneration ruffled dress that I suggested in this post. Flawless, Amy!
3. Nail Stickers?! – The lady at Quiznos asked me about my nail stickers the other day. These things sure turn heads! Have you all tried them yet? I went with the “Check it Out” pattern this past weekend for my trip to Nashville. So fun! (but I’m finding that they grow out within 6 days or so).
4. Top 10 Tips for Looking Fab at a Bridal Shower – Styling my sister for her own bridal shower was the catalyst for starting this blog. This was one of my first posts so I have a soft spot in my heart for it. (And for my adorable sis and mom!)
   
5. DIY Wedding Signs – I’ve gotten a TON of visitors via keyword searches for “wedding signs.” I can tell this is a popular decoration at weddings right now!
   
6. Reader Poll: Thoughts on Backless Shirts? – 47% of you voted in the poll and said backless shirts, like Bachelorette Ashley’s, are super cute and you’d totally bring sexy back. Rock it, girls!
   

Introducing… the Spin Pin!

Did you know that the average women spends 20 minutes a day styling her hair? Here’s a tip for shortening your hair styling time: buy Goody’s Spin Pin!

I credit my hair stylist, Mary, to introducing me to the cleverly named Spin Pin. I have layered hair that is pretty darn thick, so Mary knows I’m always on the hunt for time-saving styling tools.

I like the simplicity of a bun or chignon, but the traditional method of twisting my ponytail into the shape of a delicious cinnamon bun and securing with an elastic and bobby pins has never worked for me. The bun immediately starts to droop and pieces of my layers stick out in every direction. Bleh.

Luckily, Goody has solved this problem with their Spin Pins, nicely priced at $6. The box explains how to use the pins in 3 simple steps: gather your hair at the nape of your neck, twist into a tight bun, spin one pin from the top and the other up from the base. Viola! No ponytail holders or bobby pins necessary.

The pins are surprisingly sturdy and do a great job of really grabbing a hold of the entire bun. Sure, some layers still stick out a bit, but the Spin Pins keeps the bun tightly in place. My recommendation is to do this style with day-old hair and use some hairspray before and after you twist in the pins. And don’t fuss! It’s supposed to look a little undone.

Has anyone else tried the Spin Pin? I bought mine at CVS and it looks like Target, Walmart, and Walgreens carry them, too. The pins come in blonde and brunette.

Here’s a great video tutorial on how to use the Spin Pins from one of my favorite YouTube hair gurus (she’s got a great broadcaster voice, doesn’t she?):