Creating Joy with the SNAP Conference Crew

SNAP Conference // Have you ever walked into a room and had the feeling of… I'm HOME! That's the way I feel when I attend SNAP the blog conference for us creative types. Each year SNAP has an inspiring theme, and this year's theme was…

Create Joy, what a fabulous theme for the year. I think more than anything, those of us who love to create, are looking to create joy each time we make something special. Whether it's a new recipe to share with our family, a wall display, a new quilt, a gift to share with a friend in need… We are ultimately looking to create joy. With that theme we embarked on three days of inspiration, learning and FUN!! 

left photo  // brooke . me . amy . mandy . jen  – right photo // emily . jamie . rhonna . me

When I started blogging almost three years ago, little did I know the kind of journey I was starting. I've have the chance to meet some of the most amazing people through blogging. Seriously, some of my dearest friends are from all over blogland. The sad thing is that we don't have the chance to get together very often, but when we do… WATCH OUT!!  We spend our days working hard, learning our craft and then the night is reserved for all kinds of  crazy fun!! Let's just say, hotel security is not a huge fan… but we will work on a fun project to help them get over it!!

I wish I could tell you about everything, but I'm going to have to just share some highlights.

I was thrilled to meet some people in person that I've admired for some time. I've been a huge fan of Lisa Leonard for YEARS. Even before I started blogging, I followed Lisa's blog and drooled over her creations. She was one of the keynote speakers this year at SNAP…

I may have dorked out a bit when I went to introduce myself. We've followed each other on Instagram for a while, but you know how it is when you've admired someone for so long, you become a little overwhelmed when you get to meet them in real life. I was also, super excited to meet Jessica Sprague. She's another one of those talented ladies that I just adore. 

She was just a doll! I also had the chance to meet so many of YOU!! It was so fun to meet all of the creative faces behind all of your amazing blogs. I can't tell you how much it means to share a connection with someone who you've never really met, but you can tell you are kindred spirits because of this crazy creative life we live. One of everyone's favorite things to do at conferences is to exchange business cards. We all spend so much time coming up with the most creative business cards, so if you are attending a conference anytime soon, you can find some great deals at Vistaprint, so make sure you don't over look this detail!

I also had a ball meeting old and new brand friends! SNAP has some of the best sponsors around and without them this conference and this community would be very different. Thank you, thank you to all the sponsors. You guys are all amazing!!

img sources // natalme.com  // cricut . decoart . homes.com . forrent.com . moen . lowes . world market . familyshare.com . scotch . annie sloan unfolded . modern yardage

I had a ball working with some talented ladies on a Lowes creator challenge on Saturday. We had one hour and a table full of supplies to make anything we wanted. Our team created a fun tent for the kiddos and won the Fashion Forward award…

When it comes to blogging, there isn't a big book telling you the magic formula to create a successful blog. The way you learn is from other bloggers who have worked hard to hone their craft. This is why blogging conferences are so valuable. Yes, they cost money to attend, but if you are there for the right reasons, you will for sure have a large return for your investment. SNAP pulled together some amazing classes that taught everything from creating printables to advanced blogging. Jamielyn from I Heart Nap Time and I taught a class on Pinterest and how to better utilize this Pinterest world we now live in. We taught in this huge theatre which was a bit intimidating…

This is Becki from Infarrantly Creative teaching advanced blogging in the same room. Crazy huge, huh? You Can't see the IMAX size screen that's right behind her. Not all of the classrooms are ginormous. Here is another class on creating printables by the ladies from Paging Supermom…

All in all, attending a conferences like SNAP will take your blog to the next level.

The other key component to SNAP is the PARTY!! The fun is both big and small. The SNAP crew puts together several amazing events throughout the weekend. The event was kicked off by a fun pajama party…

Yea, we can't ever do anything without totally dorking it up!! I'm working on my best Sylvester Stallone impression here. We gathered in the big barn at Thanksgiving Point in our PJ's, had some cookies and milk and crafted with some of our amazing sponsors. 

We had amazing meals all together where we were inspired by several different speakers,

My favorite was Julie de Azevedo Hanks who closed the event with an inspirational keynote about creating Joy.

The whole conference is capped off by the craziest dance party that was hosted by Homes.com. Let's just say, our mom hats come off and we rocked out the night. My daughter Emily asked about some of the pictures on my iPhone and was rather confused, "are you dancing Mom? Like, how did you dance?" I showed her my mad skills and she almost died of embarrassment right there. More than anything it's a fun opportunity to have a blast together with some of your best friends… and boy do we do it well!!

What I took away from SNAP was to make sure that no matter what I do, or how I do it… Take every opportunity to create joy. Joy for me, joy for my family and joy for my readers. I also learned to not be so hard on myself…

img source // mique from 30 handmade days

This is a quote from Julie's closing keynote, "Joy is in the CONNECTION, not the perfection." This is something that I need to remind myself daily. I LOVE blogging because of the connections I make with all of you and I can't wait to make even more connections as I work to CREATE JOY this year!!

Thank you to Tauni and the entire SNAP team for making an event that's worth it's weight in gold for so many reason!!