SNAP Recap 2013 {What I learned and Loved}

Just to warn you this is going to be a total picture over load, but I am also going to share with you what I learning about going to a blog conference, tips I have and what I learned about blogging in the classes. 

I am finally getting to my SNAP conference recap , a week later, so sorry I am just barely recovering from all the fun, late nights, little sleep and crazy dance parties.

This was my first time going to SNAP! I remember seeing everything about it last year and was so sad I didn't go, then this year came around and I just couldn't afford it. Hubby is still in law school, we have another baby and we had just bought a camera. Then a miracle happened and I WON a FREE ticket through the twitter chat with Mail chimp. I couldn't believe it, I felt so lucky and blessed to be able to go.  I jumped up in down, danced a little and I am totally embarrassed to admit this but I even cried I was so excited and felt so blessed to go. Silly. I know it wasn't a need to go, but I think it was really good for me.

The theme this year was create joy and the lovely ladies from The R house Couture made every since one of the attendees the necklace on the left. Love your girls!!! Then I also got this beautiful necklace from the amazing and talented Lisa Leonard. I met her in one of the classes not putting the connection together. I am so embarrassed I didn't realize who she was. She was so sweet, kind and even held Holden for me while I helped in the class a bit. Later on I was able to talk to her some more and tell her how much I love everything she creates.

Before the pajama party there was a break so I went and hung out with the adorable Kristin, Courtney, Elyse, Camille, from Six Sisters Stuff and Nickelle from Novae clothing . How do I not have a picture with all of us. Boo. Anyway they were so fun to laugh and talk with. They even let me vent to them a little bit, which ended up being awesome since they totally knew what I was going through. And they put up with me leaving stuff everywhere and driving me back places to get my stuff. You guys seriously I am always forgetting things, and losing things. My brain struggles. Thank goodness for good friends.

Can I just say my favorite part of going to these things is hanging out with friends and meeting new ones. I love Mrs. Heidi from Honeybear Lane. She has always been so sweet to me and I totally look up to her.

Photo courtesy of Melissa's instagram 

Becky- The Crafting Chicks, Tasha- Sassy Style Redesign, Melissa-Hollyhocks and Honeybees, Me, Candice-She's Crafty, Kirsten - The Crafting chicks, Brooke-The Crafting chicks, 

Jamie- The Crafting chicks, Amy- Pink Parlor Designs

Check them all out they are fabulous 

The pajama party the first night was kinda rockin and I some how got talked into wearing my one piece forever lazy to the party. But hey I won an award for it so I guess that is fun. How did I not get a picture of me in it? Anyone have one from Snap?

  Maddux sportin some of the swag I got

 
I didn't spend the night because I had my sweet little Holden with my most of the time. So It was just easier to sleep at home, and I only live 20 minutes away so it wasn't too bad. I was a little sad I missed out on spending the night and roommates, but I did stay pretty late every night so I don't feel like I missed too much time. Because I didn't spend the night I was able to see my little Maddux a few times {which was nice because I was missing him like crazy}. I would have Holden with me most of the time and then Ty would come and get him around 7 and have him the rest of the night so I could relax a little bit and just hang out.

 The first night I hung out with my beautiful mom-Organize and Decorate Everything, Stacy- Not Just a housewife, and Michelle-A little Tipsy in their hotel room. Thank you ladies for letting me hang out with you until the wee hours of the morning.

Becki, me, my mom

Loved meeting the beautiful and glowing Becki- Whippycake. She is probably the sweetest person I have ever met. She also have me a HUGE compliment. She told me she loved my ombre which was again huge because she said it is the first she has really liked the ombre on short hair. She totally made my year and I have to thank my talented Friend Natalie for always doing my hair so fabulously.

Also can I just give a HUGE shout out to my mom for being so amazing with helping me, introducing me to people and being there when I needed help with Holden. She even helped me through a mini break down the last day. Thanks mom. So glad we got to be there together. 

The second day, the first class I attended was the upholstery magic. My adorable and talented sister in law Brooke- All things Thrifty and her handy hubby and my brother in law Danny taught an amazing visual class on how to upholster a a chair. They were funny, entertaining and kept us all engaged.

{Things I learned being at Snap Conference}

1. Put yourself out there. I am a shy person and sometimes it takes me a bit to get the courage to talk to new people. I learned quickly that I just needed to get over that, introduce myself and get to know the amazing ladies here. Also I had to put myself out there while talking to sponsors or asking questions during the classes. It was worth it. I made new friends, I got to talk to some amazing companies and I learned a ton.
2. Stay the night. And if you can't like me try to arrange to at least stay late to be able to hang out with the ladies and socialize a bit.
3. Bring business cards. Put your picture on them so they remember you along with your blog name, your name, and all your other social media contact info. I also included a QR code on mine so they could scan it from their phone and check out my blog right on the spot.
4. Wear clothes you are comfortable in. Be yourself. Dress nice, but be honest with your style and what you like. Make sure you are comfortable and feeling good.
5. Bring some sort of camera. I didn't bring my DSLR because it is just so big and bulky at something this busy and crazy, so I just snapped everything on my phone. This also makes it easy to instagram just sayin.
6. Bring a notebook, You can see the one I made here, to take notes during all of the classes you will be attending. You will want to take notes. There is so much amazing info and you don't want to miss it.
7. Drink a lot of water. You are running on little sleep, walking a lot, talking a lot, standing a lot and I just cant stress how much I was needing all the water I could get.
8. Pack snacks. You will get hungry. They feed you well, but in classes and such sometimes you need a little something to snack on am I right?!
9. Bring some extra cash, they have an amazing market called the queen Bee market that has all sorts of goodies at it and you will want a little extra money to get a little something. {I wasn't able to go to the market this year :( but I went last year and it was fabulous. You will also want some cash for JCW runs, sweet tooth fairy runs, or for a ice cold diet coke.
10. My last piece of advice is to be YOURSELF. Relax, have fun, be you. Because the real You is who everyone wants to meet.

I finally got to meet the adorable, and can I say most amazing photographer I have yet to see, Kristen- Kristen Duke Photography. She was so sweet, put up with my most embarrassing introduction to myself, and included me.  Also pictured is the cute Kristen from Six Sisters Stuff. She is a doll and I am lucky to call her a friend. Wish we lived closer to each other.

Lolly sandwich. I met these two freakin amazing girls Kristi and Kelly from Lolly Jane for the very first time the second day of the conference and I felt like long lost friends right away.Love you girls and can't wait to see you again. Thank goodness for staying connected through social media. Or maybe I should just move to Arizona...yes?

The last morning I attended a super amazing and inspiring class taught by non other than Ana White. All about her building, the tools she can't live without, Ryobi tools  {more posts on these amazing tools coming soon} and the techniques she used. I was swooning over this nail gun. Mothers day is coming up Ty...hint hint!!! No but really she did a demonstration with it and it was amazing.

The last day brought more fun and more luck. As if I wasn't already lucky enough to win a ticket to the conferance I won a Drill from the Ana White class as well. I love it and can't wait to get building and repurposing with it. Thank you Ana for all the info, inspiration for your wonderful plans and it was a dream come true meeting you.

Photo courtesy of Kristen Duke

Right after the Ana White class, I was lucky enough to participate in the Lowes- Ready, Set Create Challenge. We signed up a week before the conference and they assigned us teams. I LOVED my team. I got so lucky to work with such amazing ladies.

So the challenge was we could build whatever we wanted with the supplies given to us and in a one hour time frame. This is what we came up with a little porch setting and some fun pallet art. That I love and would have totally used at my home. You should have seen us trying to get that pallet together with a hammer, but no nails and screws but no drill. Yeah it was interesting. A half hour into it we finally got our hands on a staple gun and whipped this beauty out just in time. We all got a little paint on our clothes, all in a rush, but hey the memories and experience was worth it.

Team nine lovelies: Holly- My sister's Suitcase, Mckenzie- Girl Loves Glam, Katie-Sweet Rose Studio, Jamie-The Crafting chicks, and me. We totally rocked it right?!!!

Thank you Lowes for such a fun challenge, experience and bring us together. You the bomb.

Photo courtesy of Mckenzie

Gotta love the group selfies. I look crazy!

My girl Mckenzie. You should check out her blog Girl Loves Glam, she is adorable and has some really fun ideas and great style. Love ya girl it was fun to hang out. Come back to Utah so we can again!

{Things I learned from the classes}

1. Basic Blogging Tips for Online Success- Be yourself. Be original. Show your style. Write as if you are talking to a friend, in your own voice. Move to wordpress as soon as possible. Take time on your pictures. Link back to other blogs. Link back to inspiration. Comment on other blogs. Network and get to know other bloggers.

2.  Pinterest Power- Rename your pictures. Create negative space in your pictures that will be pinterest. Portrait layout, landscape is a no no. Shoot picture in the day with natural light and over head lights off. Put a title and water mark your pinterest photo. Add pin it button to your site. Comment, like and repin others pins. Use top pin words in your description and title.

3. Upholstery Magic-  First get all the tools you need. Good fabric, thick that you can pull tight. Thrift store chairs. Need two people. You will need help. Can get frustrating. Personalize it. Sanitize it. Make it your own. Know your worth. Yes you can approach them.

4. Collaborating with brands- Figure out which brands are right for you and your blog. Stay true to yourself. Think the integrity of the blog. Create a media kit. Be authentic. It is ok to do posts for product, but know you can ask to be paid.  

5. Affiliate links-  Link back to their sites often. Talk about the products you use through them. Have links on your side bar. Contact companies. Sign up to be an affiliate then market. It takes work. Pin your links. Sell sell sell.

6. Ana White- Don't be scared to use power tools. Women can do it too. Be safe. Know your equipment. Start small. Believe in yourself. Follow plans.

7. Poppyseed projects- Have amazing products and really fun classes. You can do group classes as well. They will teach you all you need to know. Love their texture cream it is so fun and I have used it several times. I made the project above in their class. Cute right?!

8. Julie Hanks-  make a ta-da list instead of a to do list. Life should not be a to do list. Save guilt for sin. Self care is an important part of joy. Too many times we give others the power to rob us of our joy. {so needed to hear that}.   

Love this girl. I watch her on studio 5 all the time we talked on instagram and it was fun to finally talk in real life and get to know her a little better. Amy- Pink Parlor Designs
 She is even more fabulous in person. We were told we could be sisters. I'll totally be her sister. Love ya Amy.

Photo Courtesy of Jessica 

Vanessa-Our Thrifty Ideas, Kari- Newlyweds on a Budget, Jessica- Pretty Providence, and me and Holden. These girls are so sweet. I feel so lucky to call them my friends and to meet Jessica in real life. We connected right away. Thank you girls for watching my little Holden while I did the Lowes Challenge he loved you ladies, as do I.

 Photo courtesy of Kristen

Dance party. Yes, after the closing dinner there was a dance party full of ladies from their 20s to 50s dancing the night away. I was so not into dances in high school, but this was a blast!!! Thank you ladies for all the fun and not judging my crazy, all out dance moves and singing.

Photo courtesy of Jonie

This girl is amazing, not really she is so cute. And I have talked to her here and there, but getting to know her better at Snap was a blast. Make sure to check out her blog and the awesome Blog wars challenge she is about to start. You will want in on this I promise. Jonie- Just Between Friends.

Photo Courtesy of Jessica

Photo Courtesy of Brooke

We are sisters!!! ok sister in laws but I just love her! Thank you Brooke for being so awesome, cute, my sister, and for helping me with all my dumb questions. Brooke- All things Thrifty.

 

Yes there was even a photo booth. Excuse our craziness. We had no children, no sleep and way too much dancing. We can not be help accountable for all this freakin awesome craziness.Lots of ladies I love!!!0

Lets end this fab conferance with one last selfie. Courtesy of Kristen. Me, Mckenzie, Kristen and Lindsey- Better After.

The slue of lovely business cards I came home with. I can't wait to go through them all and check out all these talented ladies. Not to mention they are all so cute and lots of them had little prizes attached.

The Swag I came home with from SNAP, the amazing sponsors, other bloggers and giveaways. SPOILED! I finally found a place for it all today.

I cannot wait for NEXT YEAR!!!

Linked up at Snap conference recap where you will find other great posts and experiences all about SNAP 2013 Check it

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