Left to right–Terry, Christy, and Amy
Phew! The three of us are just getting home from a weekend in Atlanta, spent at the Haven Conference for DIY bloggers. Amy and I went last year (Terry had a brand-new baby and obviously wasn’t leaving him), and we had so much fun, and learned so much, that we all went back this year. Imagine 400+ lifestyle bloggers all in one place–it was overwhelming, but also amazing!
I wanted to share a few pictures from the weekend. Stick around over the next few months as we put our newfound knowledge to the test. You guys probably know this, but there’s so much that goes into the “back end” of running a blog, and there are so many talented bloggers out there now that we really have to be at the top of our game to impress you, our amazing readers!
With our friend Rachel, who blogs at Useful Beautiful Home.
This was the first time that the three of us were together in a LONG time. Amy and her family came to visit us in Savannah last Christmas, but Terry I hadn’t been together in a couple of years, if you can believe it. That’s what happens when two of you live in Virginia and one of you lives in Georgia! Thank goodness for the internet!
By the way, if you’ve never read the story of how we know each other and how we started blogging, you can read it here.
I promise, we did NOT coordinate our outfits, but it kind of looks like we did!
We all had these fun matching tote bags at the conference, and they were such a conversation starter. It was Amy’s idea…we found the bags (handmade by {this} Etsy seller) and then I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out our blog logo in gold heat transfer material. We did the logo on one side, and our monograms (OF COURSE!) on the other.
The conference had several amazing sponsors, including Ballard Designs, like last year. Our “swag bags” were their gorgeous burlap totes, and they brought in lots of their furniture to create fun conversation and sitting areas, plus this bedroom set up.
This was our final morning at Haven, and we were exhausted–especially Amy, who shared with you all that she is fighting Lyme Disease in this post. Anyway, she made it through like a champ, even though she was so tired–the bed was just too tempting so we all crawled in!
The sponsors had fun photo-op areas set up, so we snapped a few shots with their props.
Here’s Amy at Modern Masters (she’ll be painting a front door for them soon, so stay tuned):
And all three of us cooking with Moen:
And here’s Terry with GMC (we’re hoping to do a road trip post with them in the near future):
You can imagine that the decorations were over-the-top. After all, we bloggers thrive on Pinterest-worthy tableaus! Check out the decorations at our Saturday luncheon–so creative!
And everyone loved Scout & Nimble’s candy bar…I took a few sweets home for the kids, and I think almost everyone else did, too. That counts as a “souvenir”, right?! Of course, I snuck quite a few bites during the four hour drive back to Savannah!
And you all know me–what trip to Atlanta would be complete without a trip to IKEA? Here’s the back of my car (please forgive the grainy, iPhone shot in a dark parking garage) after a successful afternoon. Stay tuned, because those boxes are going in my living room and I’m excited to show it to you!
Thanks for stopping by-
Can I just say how absolutely THRILLED I was to finally meet y’all?!?! I mean, you are every bit as fabulous in person as you are on the blog. xo
The feeling is mutual, Amanda! Can’t wait to team up with you again in the (hopefully near) future, too!
Looks like you guys had a great time! Love a girls weekend. Any chance you could provide a link to the etsy seller of the striped bags? Love them, I could totally use one.
Here is the link–the seller was amazing to work with and the bags were great! Thanks for asking 🙂
https://www.etsy.com/listing/190359558/black-white-striped-tote-bag?ref=pr_shop
Thanks so much, ordering one now!
oooohbb how stinking fun!
It really, really was!
Love your blog and love those totes you found on Etsy. Would you mind sharing the shop so I could take a closer look?
Sure, here is the link to the ETSY seller. She was so great to work with! http://bit.ly/1kB4L1g
So glad to see the three of you !!!….You ladies are just as beautiful on inside as the outside!!!…Glad you had a great trip to Ikea!!! Hope to see you next year!!!
Shirley, you are too kind. It was a real highlight of our weekend to meet you, too! Next time we’ll be sure to get a picture with you. How did we miss that?!
So cool that you got to go to IKEA on the way home! Sounds like you enjoyed the conference – it was fun, wasn’t it?
It was a blast, but phew, I’m tired. Aren’t you?!
Awesome chatting with you guys!! 🙂
You, too, Abbey, and we’re looking forward to more awesome fabric projects with you next year!
Christy, thank you so much for sharing about your blogging experiences and the Haven Conference. When I read this post (6/18/2015), I checked out the information. I immediately registered for the conference and booked my flight. I’m so excited. Works out perfectly as my daughters live in Atlanta, I have a place to stay and a car to use. I recognize the picture with the blue and white puff balls; its the Ravinia Crown Plaza. That’s where we stay when my husband also comes with me to visit the girls.