My #Lavishconf Weekend In Photos

…lets get this party started

My flight was at 545am. What does that mean? Tamara did not get any sleep. I stayed up 24 hours, and was dragging my eyes into Lavish. But perked up once I walked into the first Session led by Andrea Smoak of Life Branded (Image Is Everything. Building Your Brand). The space was PACKED. I think this topic was one that every blogger wanted a lesson on. She offered some wonderful information that was really useful,  that had me thinking about my blog/me as a whole.

Followed by The Design Sponge Panel. The ladies of DS spoke about promoting your business/blog using social media. Personal stories were offered, which made this session very relatable. Grace was very informative, and willing to share her knowledge. Love that.

We then broke for lunch. I started off with about a 1/2 cup of salad, and later realized that I WAS HUNGRY, and needed a plate refill (the ladies laughed at me, LOL). As we ate our lunch, Keynote speaker Jeralyn Gerba of Daily Candy spoke to us about what was up and coming, and a little insight on Daily Candy. Very nice lady. Really enjoyable.

After lunch (1pm) I sampled the wonderful Sokenbicha. A water/tea blend that I found very refreshing, and a way for me to get my water intake. I highly recommend it. Its sold at Whole Foods, and comes in a variety of flavors (PURIFY IS MY FAVORITE). Your body will thank you. TAM PROMISES IT, because mine does.

2pm- A session with HGTV, Better Homes & Gardens, and blogger Julie Holloway. This covered: Fostering relationships between design bloggers and traditional media. Basically they gave some advice as to what you want to do if your wanting to do more than just blog as a hobby. Things that you should edit, if your wanting to be considered for more. Really a lot to think about if you want your blog to be more than just a hobby.

Next up. The ladies of Rue Magazine sat down, and give us an insight on how Rue magazine came to be. They each spoke about blogging on their personal blogs, and how they manage to maintain both Rue and their individual personal blogs. And after that…

PARTY…..PARTY, PARTY.

I met so many greats…but below you will see Jenny, Dayka, Erika, Shameeka, Niki, Mr. Goodwill Hunting, Amanda, and Melanie in pics from the Rue/HGTV party. Everyone looked great, and got their dance, and party on. You cant tell me that Lifestyle Bloggers cant party.

(FOR A TRUSTED RECAP, VISIT DESIGN BLAHG)

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…the love

After all the fun with Lavish, and the Rue/HGTV Party. I spent quality time with my dear sweet Aney. I love this woman, and have posted about her before. She was the first woman I idolized, before Janet and Whitney hit my scene. She would fly in town in her furs, and french manicures when I was a kid. And I would just be in aww of how glamorous she looked, because I didn’t have that vision of anyone at home. She always loved me, talked to me, expected things of me, and been there when I needed her. The trip really was not long enough. I needed days with her. If only she lived here, and not Atlanta. But enough of that..I feel a tear trying to have babies.

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…after the lovey dovey

I will admit, I was in need of some major sleep. Dayka and Erika were trying to get me up and at’em Sunday…but I spent that time with my Aunt. Not to mention I was so tired after staying up for 24 hours, I overslept and missed the final day of Lavish. But on Monday, my final day. Dayka and I went out for lunch at Murphy’s before she took me to the airport. We had great conversation the entire weekend, and a delightful crab cake sandwich to top it off. I have really met some of the nicest people during my journey as a blogger. I will admit, I am a bit of an introvert, but this was not hard at all. I really enjoyed it. 

High Fives & Hugs,

Tamara