Alt! It's been two weeks since we partied and I'm already missing you.
But here's to the good times cause you guys totally outdid yourself this year! This was my second year attending and it was even bigger and blinger (blingier? blinged out? And
BINGed out) than
last year.
I had a blast.
I wasn't excited about the snow (it was 75 when I left Austin and 14 in Salt Lake City). But snow shmow. It was totally worth it. ALT is truly a fabulous conference.
You get to mingle with all these blogging friends you've only known
virtually (check out the attendee map below), learn new tips for improving your business, eat yummy treats,
craft, dance, party, and just have ball (without kids for a weekend. I
have to remind myself sometimes, "I used to be really fun")
Woohoo. It's Susan from
Freshly Picked, Melanie from
Caravan Shoppe, and Caroline from
Armelle.
Set up the shot....and hand over the camera.
For 3 days we networked, chatted, made new friends, hung out with Jessica Alba (what?),
And with a Ballroom full of bloggers there were more than enough picture opps and photo booths.
Like the Smile booth with these two goofballs. It took me a while to realize that was @aubreymccoy (instagram), married to @bluebird from the site
Bleu Bird. Do you follow their blog? It's so fabulous.
But aside from all the partying and playing we did actually do some work. There are fabulous workshops and breakout sessions on a variety of topics. You can learn how to collaborate effectively with other bloggers, how to find advertisers and monetize your blog, balance your life, create your brand, etc.
The speakers are wonderful. And there's so much to choose from. I couldn't get it all in.
Aside from the workshops there were fabulous lunches and keynote speakers.
Like
Chris Anderson, author and editor-in-chief of
WIRED magazine....talking to us here about being Makers and thinking in a 3-D world. He showed this example of a doll-house chair his daughter envisioned, created in 3-D software, then molded into a real toy with a 3-D printer. Amazing.
The next day we heard a unique presentation by
Stefan Sagmeister, a talented graphic designer and artist. I loved his thoughts on happiness, loving what you do, and looking for the positive (rather than negative) in our daily routines. I'm gonna start asking myself:
And it wouldn't be an Alt conference without crazy cool desserts...like chocolate dipped fortune cookies, the size of Clara's head. Yes.
Some personal highlights were....being interviewed by the
Studio 5 show on KSL in Salt Lake (and dressing like twiners with Brooke). If you missed it last week, check out the short video
HERE.
I got to speak/teach about going from a blog writer to book writer.
And we got hear from the final keynote speaker Katie Sokoler from
Color Me Katie. I love that she loves color! My kind of gal.
She was also super tiny, adorable, and apparently we both love polka dots and skinny belts (more twiners).
At the end of her presentation Katie asked us to look under out chairs where a balloon was hiding, blow it up, and then we had an all out balloon fight. It was the best workout I got the whole conference! And somehow
Miranda,
Nikki, and I ended up right smack in the middle where the balloons kept gathering. Can you find us?
Phew. This is a long post.
Still with me?
Just a bit more to share.....
If you needed a break there were rooms for chatting and relaxing and taking more pics....in a giant swan?
...or in the Bing it to Life lounge (sponsored by
BING) with all sorts of fun decor. Prior to the conference they asked us share ideas we'd like them to "Bing to life" and they filled the room with cool crafts, quotes, etc.....like cupcake Liner lights:
Mmmm.
Each night were fabulous parties. We had
Clue night where everyone came dressed as a game character. Love that Miss Scarlett heart dress.
Made another new friend, Diana from
Livy Love, here with Nikki.
And I found some other Mr. Greens. I loved chatting with
Jenean Morrison (fabric designer and artist). Remember her cool
Coloring book I shared?
The final night were the mini-parties, each room decked out in a different theme. My favorites were the mac n cheese bar (blue cheese and bacon? You got it), the Method dance party sponsored by
Method and
Girls with Glasses, the room for making homemade valentines and sharing them with your blog crush,
I loved seeing a few guys there (all talking with their hands),
And I especially loved the
WeatherMob app room where you could draw/color your own weather forecast, eat yummy treats, and take pics in WONDERFUL lighting. Haah! The little things I care about.
(hanging with
Nikki, Ana of
We Love Citrus, and
Bonnie)
And who can forget the cutest take home gifts from WeatherMob? Rain, Snow, or Shine crazy straws! And cute little buttons. I may have grabbed a couple....for a potentially fun sewing project...
And that.
Is an Alt wrap.
Thank you
Alt organizers and
sponsors for making it happen! It was a crazy fun weekend!
(If you're looking for an Alt near you, they just announced
San Francisco and
NYC)
See ya next year....
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