There is something about small niche blog conferences that I just love. I think it's because they aren't so busy with people buzzing from place to place and you have a chance to actually sit down and talk to like-minded people. I definitely felt that at the recent Elevate Blog Conference. These were my people!
My friend Natalie and I started the day driving to lovely Huntington Beach (with a couple of stops at Starbucks along the way of course).
When we arrived at the conference we jumped straight into playing a game of bingo to get to know one another. What a fantastic ice-breaker. We crafted, we ate (a lot), we packaged up school kits for the Shine Project, we played games, and we listened to brilliant speakers who talked about branding yourself before others brand you, about finding your voice, organization, and we got a few photography tips too. And I left there feeling incredibly inspired.
The conference was organized by:
- Summer Alvarez - Made By Munchie's Mama
- Jen Jurca - Delightful Deets
And the fabulous speakers were:
- Nina Banks - Momma Go Round
- Becki Crosby - Whippy Cake
- Holly Lefevre - 504 Main
- Ashley Hackshaw - Lil Blue Boo
- Kristine McNairy - Lucky Lime Photography
And here are just a few of the photographs that I took while I was there.
As you can imagine being in a room full of incredibly creative women, the venue was decorated beautifully. So much thought went into every tiny detail.
There were pom poms everywhere. Don't you just love the vibrant colors.
I just love the paper berry baskets which we used for the assorted snacks that were placed out for us to nibble on throughout the day. And there's just something about canning jars and paper straws right now.
As I mentioned, it was all of the tiny details that brought everything together so beautifully.
Amazing ladies: Ashley (Lil Blue Boo), Nina (Momma Go Round), Becki (Whippy Cake), and Jen (Delightful Deets)
Just look at the dessert table.
Who could resist these delicious treats? Did I mention that we ate A LOT!
We painted inspirational wood signs to take home with us.
And once we were done crafting, we packaged up school kits for the Shine Project.
We bonded (and laughed hysterically) over a fun game of Minute To Win It. I had the challenge of trying to get a chocolate cookie from my forehead into my mouth without using my hands. I failed miserably (and thankfully have seen no photographs floating around of that). Who would have thought I'd fail at eating chocolate.
And in the evening once we had learned, crafted, bonded, laughed, cried, and eaten our way through the day we were sent home with milk and cookies.
And just like most conferences there was swag. But this wasn't just any ordinary swag. This was breathtaking. This is just a sneak peek at some of the lovely items we came home with. You can find a complete list of sponsors on Summer's post.
If you have a chance to attend the Elevate Blog Conference next year, I highly recommend it, especially if you are an Etsy seller, or creative blogger.
