I always hesitate to write a post about a blog conference that I have attended. I have mentioned this in the past as well, but I don't ever want it to be like "Wow, look at the awesome thing I got to experience and you didn't." I used to be the one reading all the conference recaps and being jealous and wishing I could go. But those recaps got me out of my comfort zone and made me go to my first conference. And I also want to mention that with my hubby out of work so much there is no way I could have gone without Minwax sponsoring me. I love them to pieces and I was THRILLED to meet Michelle and Anna, and see Bruce again. They were also a sponsor for the conference and were wonderful.
So yes, there will be an onslaught of pictures but I will try to share my feelings and relate it to you as well.
(picture from of House TalkN)
I had to get up at 3 am to go to my flight. I had not gone to bed until around 12:30. Keep this in mind as I tell you the rest of my story.......
It was my first time having to go in the body scanner thing at the airport. I must have made something go off because I got a pat down after. My spanx had rolled down and the lady was feeling it trying to figure out what it was. I said "Oh, that is just my girdle." She said "Oh, okay MAM." Usually I get Miss..... I bet if I would have said spanx she wouldn't have added that last part. At least that is what I am going to tell myself.
Every single time I go somewhere on {blog} business I manage to embarrass myself. This trip to Atlanta for Haven was not any different. On the plane there were three of us from Utah and we all sat together. We chatted about just about everything. You know when you say something and then AFTER you realize it could have been taken in a completely different {dirty} way? That was me. And I said it loud because, well, I am loud. The whole plane stopped and stared. And no, I will not say it. My mother-in-law-reads my blog :P (email me)
Later after I had got to the hotel and changed for the cocktail party, I found Roeshel from DIY Show Off. We have been buddies online so I was excited to meet her in person. When talking to her I heard her wrong and replied with a stupid {Utah} joke. Even if she had said what I thought she said it would still have been a REALLY bad attempt at humor. She was very nice about it though :) It was no straw up the nose, but it was not pretty. I don't think I should go to anymore cocktail parties.....
I had a goal to meet everyone there. I failed miserably. But I will say that I did much better at mingling than at any other conference. Conference number one, I was glued to the hips of the girl I flew there with and probably didn't talk to anyone else. But as a newbie the classes were where I got the most anyway. Conference number two was for bloggers of all types so networking wasn't really helpful for me but the SEO class and being with friends were great. Conference number three was full of firsts. I spoke, I danced, and I met a ton more people. This conference {Haven} I tried to sit by different people every time. I met more new people than any other conference but I still didn't meet everyone I was hoping to.
This conference was awesome in the fact that it was "my people". DIY Bloggers! DIY Sponsors! It was like a kid in a candy store with a bunch of other sugar addicts :)
Me and my cute Home Depot friends
I went out to dinner with amazing people, I sang Beach Boys {loudly} at a fancy shmancy restaurant, I hugged and squeezed A LOT of people, I got mistaken for my friend's DAUGHTER by the people at the Rust-oleum booth, I tried grits for the first time and I way over did it with hairspray because I kept hearing people bad mouth the effects of humidity on hair and then ended up with giant hair than DIDN'T go flat like I thought it would. Good times were had by all.
And here are the pictures. Proof I was there :)
Some of the amazing DIY ladies at the conference. I {heart} every single one! Thanks for the picture Brittany :)
Me and Layla. I think every single person has this same picture in their recap post.... not me... but them with Layla :P Not because she has a big blog, but because she is SO. Stinkin'. NICE. Like incredibly nice. And her and her hubby Kevin have the cutest relationship. Their class was my favorite.
Remember when I said I over did it with the hairspray because I thought my hair would go flat and then it didn't??? I give you exibit A.
New friends and some I already knew :) Linda from Craftaholics Anonymous, Whitney from Shanty2Chic, Marge... I mean me, Ashley from Shanty2Chic, Jamielyn from I {heart} naptime, and Heather from Whipperberry.
There were amazing sponsors! Minwax, Home Depot, Ryobi, Rustoleum, Homes.com, Frog Tape, Shaw Floors, 3M, PureBond Plywood, Purdy, Oreck, Annie Sloan paint, and more!
And there was Vivienne from The V Spot who makes me laugh in real life, not just on her blog. And she taught me a pose so my arms won't look as big. She's a bestie for life just for that.
I am sure by this point you are thinking "Dude, talk about packing light! Stacy only packed one shirt!" But no, I had plenty (thanks to my sis who let me rummage through her closet). I just has so much fun I forgot to take pictures until the last day.
Wendy my flight buddy and Tracie who I adore :)
Me, Chrissi, Natalie, Tauni and Candice
I stole the pic from Candice :) Thanks!
Me and the gals from East Coast Creative, Monica and Jess.
I stole this from Julia at Hooked on Houses :)
Francine from Skybluepink Creations, Tauni, me, Miss Charming from Charming Zebra (Check out her zebra print shirt! Talk about branding!), and Brandie from Brandie Designs (who use to be a stand up comic!).
I think that is about it. I didn't embarrass myself on the ride home. And I got to see four little boys run across the airport yelling "MOM!" That was the best part :)
I linked up to Southern Hospitality!
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Um I think you and I would be GREAT friends if we met - your stories sound JUST like mine! Except for the hair part - your hair looks fabulous and mine is always super flat :(
Loved the pictures & stories...thanks for sharing!!
Looks like a great time! What a fun conference and I'm sure you were fabulous!
Thanks for sharing your pics and story. Glad you had fun. I really wanted to go but it was not the year to do it - maybe next year? But I LOVE hearing about it!
My spanx always roll down - glad it's not just me! LOL And your hair looked very nice... :)
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I have never been to a blog conference before since I'm new to blogging. I hope to make it to one in the future. Maybe it will be this one, who knows.
Have a great week
These pictures turned out great. I'm glad you had a good time.
Stacy, you're a hoot and really, that comment made me crack up! Loved getting to meet you, beautiful 'miss'! :)
Stacy, you crack me up! I really enjoyed your recap. Glad you had a great time. I wish I was there. I would have loved to have met you. I bet seeing your boys run to you in the airport was really sweet. Take care!
I'm so glad you had a good time! My Spanx always roll down, too, which makes the muffin top problem almost lethal. And your hair? It's gorgeous. SOME of us try to get big hair because it makes our hips look narrower. Just sayin'. ;)
I need to hear what you said on the plane and how your dinner went! Looks like a lot of fun!
Wow!! I love, love, loved hearing about Haven! Thanks for sharing your experience with me. My goal within this next year is to attend a Blogging Conference. You have sold me :)
Make it a great day!
Meegan
I love reading recaps from blog conferences. While I might not have gone for some reason, reading the recaps gives a glimpse at what I missed. I also think that it helps remove some of the misconceptions newer bloggers may have about conferences and encourage them to attend future ones. So, that you so much for sharing your experience with us.
Hey Stacy! Oh my gosh I was so happy to meet you. I have blog stalked you forever. I eyed you from across the room and totally had to work up my courage to go talk to you. I think if the girls I was with hadn't asked to pose with you, I wouldn't have and I would definitely have missed out. I thought I was the only one who felt uncomfortable and embarrassed herself so I am really happy that we all feel/felt the same way. :) PS I thought your hair was Fabulous!!!
How is it possible that we didn't connect at haven???!!! I love you!! You killed it with the money photos... i just did not get enough pictures! Although we missed our boat at Haven, I'm not giving up. Your blog has made a great first impression on me, so we are good!! LOVE your layout and header and big freakin' hair! Also love your projects. and everything else and whatever this gushing is getting ridiculous. Haven2013, please!
I'm glad you had so much fun! You look great, and so does your hair. It's not too big. :)
Also, I now feel like I really need to know what you said on the plane. This coming from the queen of sticking her foot in her mouth. ;)
First, great recap! Second, I just adore you and I am totally looking forward to seeing you again soon! Third? We girls who are loud and have big hair need to stick together. (Even though I didn't have big hair in that particular picture...) :)
Hi Stacy,
I was so glad to meet you at the conference. I kept hearing all these great things about you I thought "I have to talk with that girl!" And thanks for all the advice on the press part of blogging, I really appreciate it :-)
Hope to be in touch!
Remind me not to sit behind you at a conference session- I couldn't see cause of the hair!! :) Unfortunately I did not get a chance to meet you at Haven, but I have always enjoyed your blog- and your humor!
Thanks for sharing these conferences sound like a lot of fun
Awesome recap! I am sitting here laughing because I know what you said on that plane and it still kills me. Bahaha! It was really nice to be able to spend some time with you- thanks for being so real and just plain fun and nice!
Monica (and Jess)