My Haven DIY Blog Conference Trip {how to blogg}

I returned from the Haven DIY/Blog Conference one week ago today.  And then I jumped right into preparing for The Junk Hippy Road Show, so I haven’t even had a chance to tell ya’ll about all the fun I had!

So here is a my trip in a nutshell… 

My neighbor, Wanda, and I bought our tickets last year and have been looking forward to this all year long! 

 The day we arrived there was a cocktail party hosted by Oreck and Frog Tape.  I got to meet a few of my favorite bloggers. 

Here is me, John, and Clara from Young House Love.  They even had their dog Burger with them.  I acted like a total blog stalker when I met them because I had a dream the week before that Axton and Clara were in the same class and I told them about it.  Gah.  I’m a dork.

To be honest, I don’t read too many blogs because I don’t have time.  Plus it makes me feel like a blogging loser because I know mine could be so much better than it is.  But that’s why I attended Haven, right?  To sharpen my blogging skills. And drink cocktails.  And be around women like me.

I also met Marian a.k.a. Miss Mustard Seed. 

 We have been in discussions via email a lot recently.  Can you guess why? 

Mr. Goodwill Hunting.  He was a style expert on The Nate Berkus Show and an expert on all things  thrifting.  A subject very near and dear to my heart.

The next day John & Sherry from Young House Love were the keynote speakers to kick off the event.  They were so real about how they grew their blog to the 5 million readers that it is today.  They were so cute and funny too. 

I took workshops about blogging and DIY all day.  It was like my version of Disney Land.

I sat in I Like Big Blogs (And I Can Not Lie) about how to grow your blog traffic.  Did you notice how this post has the misspelled title {how to blogg} ?  That’s a little SEO (search engine optimization) trick I learned.  So don’t judge my spelling.. Ok?

I also sat in Advanced Furniture Painting with Miss Mustard Seed and we got to play with her new Milk Paints. 

Then I went to a class about Advertising on Blogs.  Wow.  I have a lot to learn in this department.  We had another cocktail party and then went to dinner with Wanda and Donna. 

Donna is my CeCe Paint BFF and the Dallas/Ft. Retailer.  We talk almost every day, but I don’t get to see her that often so it was great to spend the conference together.

Day 2 I got to meet Mr. Goodwill Hunting and took his Thrifting 101 Class.   A lot of his philosophy about thrifting is similar to mine, which made me feel like I actually know what I am doing! Ha!

We also attended a photography class hosted by Jon and Keving from Shoot Fly Shoot and photo styling tips from The Lettered Cottage.  I only have a point and shoot camera right now, so now I am motivated to buy a DSLR. 

Lastly I attended Blogging PR taught by several PR experts and Brand Reps.  I also got to meet Amy Flurry who wrote the book Recipe For Press. 

It was so informative and I can’t wait to start creating more buzz about Refunk My Junk.

We went to dinner that evening with several CeCe Caldwell Retailers from around the nation,  Mandie from Altar’d Designs  joined us, as well as CeCe Caldwell herself!

Can you tell which CeCe is in the picture? 

There are some pretty pathetic rumors out there saying that CeCe Caldwell is not a real person.  Well, she is.  And she is a genuine woman with a big heart who prefers not to be in the spotlight or the center of attention.  I love her humble attitude and I am grateful to represent her wonderful product in Oklahoma.  So let’s just put that rumor to rest, shall we? 

I got tons of free swag at Haven and got to connect with some amazing brands and bloggers. 

I was able to test drive the new Purdy Elite XL.  And if you have attended one of my workshops you know I am a die hard Purdy fan.  I almost humped the Purdy guy’s leg. But I managed to control myself.

So what did I learn from Haven?

1.  I have been doing so many things wrong.

2.  I managed to do a lot of things right even though I have been winging it until now.

3.  This little blog is about to bust open… Trust me!

3.  I need to work on my camera and photo styling skills.

4.  I am blessed to have the readership that I do.  Without ya’ll… well… this would be just me and my computer and no one to share my journey with.  You guys laugh and cry with me.  And hopefully you learn something along the way too.

Can’t wait until Haven in 2013!  Who is coming with me?