A Trip to Altitude Design Summit

A few weeks ago, I took the opportunity to attend an amazing lifestyle and design blogging conference held in Salt Lake.  I learned about Alt the week after it was held last year and was so bummed that I had missed it.  I read about it on somebody’s blog and I knew it was just what I was looking for, so when January rolled around again, I was prepared.  If you want to be a newbie to Alt next year too, I highly recommend it.  Here’s what you’ll want to know:

Most people who attended are talented and successful bloggers, stylists, artists and designers (but they still like you if you’re new to the blog world, like me!).  They are inspirational, creative and on fire about what they do.  You’ll find time to mingle with other like-minded people, listen to panels on blog etiquette and expectations, take classes on things like photography or hand-lettering, network, and in my case, learn the ins and outs of blogging.  The panelists and presenters all have lots of experience and are there both to present and attend (this speaks to the quality of every single class).  I was surprised at how generous and helpful everyone was with their ideas and experience.

Bring business cards and lots of them.  Alt was a beautiful mix of creativity and business.  It’s an excellent place to network and meet other bloggers.

If you want to monetize your blog, this is the place to be.  I was incredibly surprised by what an industry the monetization of blogging is.  I met product designers, store owners, sponsors looking for bloggers to advertise for them and even magazine and tv show reps. 

Wendy, Katie and I

Don’t be afraid to come alone—you’ll leave with friends.  

This is the place to wear those swanky clothes.  Every evening held dinners and parties, clearly planned by women-- they were playful and beautiful and girly and very fun.

What Alt is not:  Cheap (start saving now, because it’s pricey.  But worth every penny.)  If you are looking for a personal/family blogging conference, this is not it—content is heavy on monetization and success in terms of readers and page views.

We capped off the conference with a thrifting tour of some of Salt Lakes best thrift/vintage stores.  More on that tomorrow.

A Collection: Vintage Trunks

While thrifting yesterday, I found yet another military trunk.  I don't know why I'm graced with such good luck, but I've found a lot of these lately.  This one is green and had carpet (yuck!) on the top.  But when I peeled it up, this is what I got.  I was happy.

These trunks are great in a stack at the end of a hall or as a side table because they read as a single piece of furniture.  Try using just one to add height to a display on top of a dresser or put a small one in a bookshelf. They also work great on top of another piece of larger furniture to vary the height.

Use the big ones for a coffee table or turn it up on a side for an end table.  My mom uses a great old trunk in her cabin to stack blankets and hold a reading lamp with a feather shade.

Made the Leap

I'm a paper and pencil gal.  I can find a pair of scissors, a needle and thread and a sharpie in almost every room of my house, but I carry an old cell phone that I don't even know how to retrieve my messages on.  This leap into the blogging world has me shaking in my (really cute) boots.  But today, I did it (well, really my darling husband did it, but I'll get the hang of it) and I'm happy. 

I've been debating the merits of having a blog for a long time.  I pour over blogs and come to know so many bloggers as they share, but I don't have a way to connect with them.  My friends ask what inspires the things I create and how to do it themselves, but sometimes we don't make it to the how-to.  And my family (too far away) wants to see what I'm doing but the photos never get sent.  And that's what pushed me over the edge--to find, and contribute to, a community of people who love to share.  Sharing what inspires me and hoping it inspires you too.

So this blog is dedicated to the process and outcome of all that is made, by myself or others.  I hope to share my passion for the process of making -- sewing, painting, designing, cooking and crafting; and also my daily attempts to make my days meaningful.  In the end, all we have is what we've made from what we've been given.