It’s been very quiet around here, I know. But a lot of things have been happening behind the scenes so I have an excuse. And today I get to share some of it with you!
First of all, I’m so excited to be able to finally tell people that I’m being featured in the summer issue of one of my favourite magazines, Where Women Create Business by Stampington! The issue was released on July 1st but our involvement took place way back in the winter. And when I say “our” involvement, I mean Food Bloggers of Canada. The magazine ran a 12 page profile on FBC, me, Ethan and, of course, SamTheDog!
It was a great opportunity to tell the world exactly what it is we do, about the incredible work that Canadian food bloggers produce every day, and give tips on how to run a small business from anywhere – something we wrestle with regularly. I say this as Ethan is, in fact, on a road trip that will have stretched just over three weeks by the time he returns later this week (with a day and a half at home in the midst of it!).
Usually, Ethan takes on more of the role of being the public face of FBC, especially with the brands and agencies we work with, and he does it well. And while he himself never makes me feel this way, I sometimes feel a bit like the invisible half of FBC when it comes to the outside world. But the reality is, we’re a team. And it always feels weird to me when one of us is singled out over the other. So while my name is on the article, it’s really our story and the story of FBC.
I’m not gonna lie, it was a pretty big thrill walking into Chapters today and seeing it there on the shelf. I desperately wanted to hold it up and yell at everyone in the store “hey everyone… guess what?? I’M IN THIS MAGAZINE!!!”
But, of course, I didn’t.
Ethan often tells me I don’t toot my own horn enough. But, I struggle with being a Leo – who wants the limelight – and being one of those rare INFJ personalities who shies away from it. It’s like a split personality. I want people to notice me but without me jumping up and down and saying “look at me!!”.
But the truth is, I pour my heart, my soul, and my guts into FBC. We both do. There’s days where things go well. And there’s days when they don’t. There’s days where we screw up and I let it eat me up inside because I hate disappointing anyone. There’s days where people yell at us, sometimes deserved, sometimes not. There’s days where we get to create really cool opportunities for our members (that always feels great), and there’s days where we’re completely humbled by the incredibly talented people we get to work with, support and promote.
And, it was kinda nice to feel a bit of the public spotlight this time round!
A big thank you to our friend Karla Wakefield for taking all of the photos of me and Sam in the article – including the gorgeous two page lead spread. It was shot at Centennial Beach in Delta.
Oh! There’s Also Something Else!
You may have noticed that Eyes Bigger got a massive facelift this weekend! It’s still a work in progress but, I made a major change from Woo Themes and Canvas, to Studiopress and Genesis. The theme is a Genesis child theme called Fun. I’ve mad a few minor tweaks to the theme to get it up and running but, I will be doing some major tweaking over the coming weeks to make it feel like mine! But I love the flexibility of the home page – it’s finally got me where I want to be!
Congratulations, what a fabulous opportunity! I’m going to look for that magazine so I can casually point out to my friends that I know this person featured so deservedly in its pages. Love, love the photo of you and Sam on the beach.
Also, great new look for your blog. I really like how fresh and crisp it looks.
Congratulations and well deserved!! I hope you add this accomplishment to your on-line bio (yep, that would be a noteworthy “Toot! Toot!”)
Congratulations on the very well-deserved magazine spread, Melissa! You definitely need to toot your own horn. You are a total rock star while also being incredibly humble and down to earth. Thanks for everything that you and Ethan do. I can’t begin to tell you how much it’s enriched my life to join FBC and get to know other Canadian bloggers. That photo of you and Sam is amazing, btw.
Well done Melissa. Such an inspiration to us all. It’s great to be part of the FBC group, and I’m sure you are thrilled that all your hard work is paying off.
Congratulations on being published! It is a huge accomplishment to be featured. Your tips for managing a business from anywhere are amazing. I never think about backing up my documents online so that I can access them from anywhere. Great ideas in this article!
Congratulations on the article! It’s fabulous! I am going to go to Indigo to check it out!
Congrats on the mag feature + love the new look of your site!
Congrats! Looks like a beautiful spread. I can’t wait to get myself into a bookstore to check it out! And gosh that photo of you and the pooch sure makes me want to bust my butt back to the west coast ASAP!
Congratulations on having your work building such an amazing community for Canadian Food Bloggers recognized and shared! You are such an inspiration and I so appreciate being part of FBC!
New site looks great and congrats on the feature Melissa! Maybe I’ll drop by Delta sometime in the next while! (My hometown)
Congratulations! Well deserved! Thank you both for all you do. I must pick up a copy. Your site looks fantastic.
The magazine spread looks beautiful. You and Sam look beautiful! Congratulations on this feature Melissa, very well deserved.