It’s crazy to think that just a week ago I was amidst of sea of inspiring ladies (and a few gents) at the always a party, ALT Summit.

I always love the casual and intimate way ALT is kicked off with the Wed. night dinners. Helps to feel like you have a few cronies in your back pocket before venturing out into the great big world of super inspiring blogger’s the next day. I was able to attend the Michael Miller Fabric dinner and was so delighted to meet the lovely ladies behind the company and to also chat with my darling friend Sarah (mogul behind the infamous SarahJane fabric line). I had to duck out a bit early that night as I had my wee one with me but it was good times for sure.

And bright and early, Thursday morning I was so delighted (and somewhat terrifed?) to be able to speak this year on the panel Collaborating with Brands. It was a topic that I was excited about and I loved hearing what my fellow panelists had to say as well. For me it’s all about doing what you love in the best way possible and the brands that are like minded will make themselves known to you. Or “If you build it, brands will come”. Be true to your own voice and the brands you work with will only enhance that. I also touched on what to do when you get the collaboration of your dreams, such as when I worked with GAP Kids last fall. Fun stuff friends!

After my panel, I was so excited to be able to sit back and enjoy the rest of the day. At least that was my plan. What I didn’t realize is that I had been holding quite a bit of tension in my neck and shoulders all morning…making for a really great and terrible migraine once I finally finished up my panel. Thank goodness I had two lovely friends, Meg and Heather, who let me  crash in their room for a bit before going back to my own hotel room (which was in another hotel down the road). I was, unfortunately, more or less out of commission for the rest of day. (Super sad as I wanted to hear a lot of the panels and meet a lot more lovely people!).

I was finally feeling better by the time the Clue Party rolled around that night so I decided to venture out again.

I went as an understated Mrs. Peacock. It was fun seeing the sea of wonderful, colorful Clue Characters. I was doubly impressed with the transformed room. Apparently there were so many cool things to do and fun stuff to win. I had baby girl with me so we didn’t stay too long but still had a lot of fun chatting.

Friday was lots of fun too filled with round table sessions and more great panels. Baby M and I sat out the mini-parties that night as we were worked but I heard good things about them.

Speaking of Baby M, she was the most incredible ALT companion. Of all my children, she is the most chill. I would not have been able to do this with either of my boys at this age. She just sat in her sling all the day long, happy as can be, complaining only when she needed something. Dream baby. Love that girl. And I love the mother-daughter memories we made at this conference. She’s kind of my hero, really.

The last day of the conference was filled with great DIY classes and I attended Nicole’s photo class. Great info friends. I learned that having your 4-yr old hold up a white foam core reflector is actually not the easiest way of going about things, if you can believe it. They actually have super simple clamps for that. Who knew? And that is just one of the many tips/tools I learned that I had no clue about. Thanks Nicole! Pure pearls of wisdom there. And best thing is you can get this information yourself through her online classes. Love that.

And now what to do with all this inspiration? All these ideas swirling around in my head? Share them on the blog of course! And that, my friends is just what I intend to do. So excited for another inspiring year. Thanks ALT!