Creative Estates: The Neighborhood

 

So, I'm back (& mostly recovered) from Creative Estates! I'm still processing all the great information I took away & checking all the great sites of those I met! WOW!

 It was my very first blogging conference and could NOT have been better! Even though crafting/DIY/decor is just one of my many mom endeavors & not the only focus of the blog, the conference was great to attend. I learned so many new things, bought (or got/won) some adorable products, and met & formed new friendships with some amazing ladies!
It was such an incredible feeling to be surrounded by so many like-minded women. Just look at this room--full of super fantastic ladies! 

Some are BIG bloggers (yes, I was "star struck"), some are smaller bloggers, and some don't have blogs at all. Some are VERY successful hand-made business owners, some are just starting out, and again, some not at all. Some were moms, some not. But, no matter what everyone's situation is, everyone had something similar--a creative spirit. And, everyone was SO nice! 
The weekend kicked off on Thursday night at El Zocalo in Chandler, AZ and was great! I was SO nervous, but had no reason to be! I had already met the fabulous Shey (co-founder of the conference), Carlee from Oh Snap Photography, Katie from Sweet Rose Studio, Heidi from Honeybear Lane, and Laura from Pink Cake Plate. So Katie, Laura, Heidi, and I hung out together until we all got the courage to go around & mingle.

From L to R: Shey & Tauni (cofounders) checking out their name tags with Katie; nearby table of fantastic ladies like Alison from Oopsey-Daisy & Kendra from My Insanity; our table; Laura & Me; Katie, Me, & Heidi

 After dinner, we enjoyed cupcakes off this fabulous display styled by the famous Kim from the TomKat Studio!

   

She is SO amazing! We were all totally star-struck, especially Katie! She finally got her picture taken with her the next day! :)

And, it was all uphill from there! Learning from wonderful speakers, meeting more great women, and yes, eating more cupcakes! Seriously, how cool is this dangling cupcake tower?!

I'll be sharing some more with you in upcoming posts (like my "takeaways"), but for now, I just wanted to share with you some of the fantastic women I got to see & meet. Some of them I even got to spend a fair bit of time chatting with just relaxing & chatting! So fantastic!

 

 Some relaxing couch time with Katie, Rebecca {Roots & Wings Co}, Jamielyn {I Heart Naptime}, and Ashlee {I'm Topsy Turvy}

Perhaps we should call this post, "Oh...these are the people in my neighborhood"...  


Meet the fabulous Cindy from Skip to My Lou! I adore her & her blog. She was so sweet to spend some time chatting with me over the weekend! I'm friends with her niece in real life, so it was extra fun to meet Cindy "IRL".

Here are some of my other favorites:

1. Me & Becky Higgins--a scrapbooking & organizational goddess! :) 
2. Alison {Oopsey-Daisy}, Kristyn {Lil' Luna}, and Me
3. Michelle {A Little Tipsy}, Jen {Tatertots & Jello}, Steph {Somewhat Simple}, Amy {The Idea Room}, and Shelley {The House of Smiths}. 
4. "Saras": Me & Sara {Super Saving Sense}
5. Jen {Tatertots & Jello}, Me, and Kami {No Biggie}
6. Michelle {A Little Tipsy}, Lara {Less Cake, More Frosting}, Char {Crap I've Made}

1. Stacy {Not Just A Housewife}, Jamielyn {I {heart} Naptime}, Becca {Blue Cricket Design}, Amy {The Idea Room}, Michelle {A Little Tipsy}, Steph {Somewhat Simple}, Amy {Ameeronie Designs}. Photo courtesy of Stephanie {The Daily Blarg}

2. My twitter pals! :) Allison {A Glimpse Inside}, Gina {Hiya luv}, and Chrissy {Hoot Designs}. Photo courtesy of Melissa.

3. Super cute gals all weekend!  Lindsay {Aisle To Aloha}, Ilene {Much Love, Illy} Moriah  {Josiah’s Nest}, Sandy {Sandy A La Mode}, and Kim {Oh, Sweet Joy}! Photo courtesy of Sandy A La Mode.
4. A fun "photoshoot" with Bev {Flamingo Toes} and Cindy {Skip to My Lou}
5. New AZ friends Amy {Pink Bow Bath Boutique} and Joanna {Baked By Joanna}. Photo courtesy of Joanna.
6. Sheila {The Adventures of Ordy & Joon} & April {Funky Vintage Lovely}. Photo courtesy of Sheila.
7. Kendra {My Insanity} and Laura {Laura Winslow Photography}

I could go on and on about each one of these ladies, and all those that I met who aren't even pictured here. But, then this post would be even more ridiculously long! I can say though, it was a pleasure to meet each and every one of them! Such talent! Make sure you check out all of their fantastic sites!
The only thing disappointing is realizing how many ladies I didn't get a chance to meet or get a picture with! Maybe next year?!

If you want to check out everyone who was there, head over to Today's Creative Blog (from the fabulous Kim who I had the pleasure of meeting too)! (And, if you went to CE & haven't linked up, make sure you get on there!!)

Also, if you posted about Creative Estates, would love for you to leave a comment with the link! :)  I'm loving all the recaps!!