A couple nights ago, I had the pleasure of joining my friend, designer Paige Lewin of Tess & Ted Interiors, for an Instagram Live interview as part of her new series #MyFavoriteSpot. I shared a tour of the tiny room at the farm that we affectionately call the “parlorette.” I would have greatly preferred being in the same room with Paige and if you watch the interview, you’ll see why. She’s an artful conversationalist, very genuine, and the kind of person you want to know better.
Read moreAlt Summit Recap 2019
See the pic above? That’s the first day of Alt Summit, the once-a-year blog conference I attended in Palm Springs earlier this month. It looks arduous, doesn’t it? All those palm trees and the very conspicuous sunshine. One writer in attendance, the brilliant Meg Conley, joked:
Read more“My husband keeps saying that Alt Summit is what I seem to think all of his business retreats are like. But really his are him hunkered down in a corner eating a Big Mac while working in an airport and Alt is, you know… meditation cabanas and flower arrangements and dinners with women who wanna make your dreams come true.”
Coming On a Little Too Strong?
I have a friend who always asks me, "Did you get the Halloween invite from blah blah blah?" or "Are you going to blah blah blah's 40th birthday party?" The first few times it happened and I responded that no, actually, I did not get that invite, she was always shocked. Which made it so much worse. "Huh!" she would say, like this was a puzzle. Like maybe I’d been on the original invite list but somehow something changed.
After this happened a number of times, my friend learned to be more discrete. Now she simply asks, "Did you get an invite in the mail yesterday?" This question is much less specific but not necessarily less stressful.
Read moreCh-Ch-Ch-Changes at This Year's Alt Summit
Recently, I attended Alt Summit, a conference for creative entrepreneurs. Alt Summit used to be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, a logical setting for a conference organized by members of the Church of Latter Day Saints. I've attended twice in that location. But this year, founder Gabrielle Blair moved the whole shebang to Palm Springs, California, and the new setting made a big difference for some interesting reasons.
Read moreTakeaways from Alt Summit 2016
This week, I'm reporting back from the field of Alt Summit in Utah where I attended a four-day conference for bloggers and creative business owners. On the first day, I sat front row during the keynote speeches of some really really smart women. Give an entrepreneur time to prepare, a clicker, and a microphone and you get insights worthy of Ted Talks.
Read moreAlt Summit Gal Pals
I am back from Alt Summit, a conference for bloggers and creative entrepreneurs that takes place annually in Salt Lake City. In the photo above, I'm on the right, dancing in the dark with three new friends, who, you can see, could hardly take their eyes off of my Elaine Benes dance moves.
As business conferences go, this one rocks.
Read moreLeland Gal
Photo of Maggie Revel Mielczarek by John A. Gessner.
I would like to introduce you to Maggie Revel Mielczarek. She lives across the lake from me, in Michigan, and our paths crossed in Utah at Alt Summit. Maggie is the founder of Leland Gal, a line of textiles, wallpapers, and accessories. When I saw her design work, my heart skipped a beat.
Read moreIt is Okay to Be a Beginner: Lessons Learned at Alt Summit
Me, rushing to learn. Photo by Justin Hackworth.
This post is about Alt Summit and I'm filing it under 'Mistakes' because I made another big one. I am not comfortable in the role of beginner and before launching my shop, I believed that with enough preparation and education, I could skip beginner status altogether.
However, I'm three months in and there is minimal traffic to the store, my Google page rank is zero, Photoshop kicks my butt no matter how many tutorials I do, and each day ends with a longer list of things I need to learn. I cannot skip to the next grade.
Read moreThe Flowers at Alt Summit
Photo of Martha Stewart by Justin Hackworth.
I just returned from Alt Summit, a business conference for pioneering and rookie bloggers held last week in Salt Lake City. It was unlike any conference I've attended and I look forward to sharing some of the good stuff in my next post. But for now, indulge me for a moment to gush about one aspect of this conference that really stood out. The flowers! They were everywhere, used to creative effect in unexpected places and generally lending a dreamy and luscious quality to the whole event. All of the young lovelies in attendance adorned themselves with flowers and I felt like I was at a midsummer festival in Scandinavia. It was girly and wonderful.
Read moreWhy Martha Stewart Kicks A*&
I am attending a conference for bloggers called Alt Summit, and the organizers just announced that Martha Stewart will give the keynote address. Is there anyone more fascinating than M Diddy, The Queen of Clean, or Pumpkin, as Jennifer Garner dubbed her? Here are a few reasons why I plan to sit in the front row of that auditorium.
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