Bunny & Dolly is nominated in the category “Best Family & Kids Blog” for Apartment Therapy’s The Homies. Now, I’m a realist — I have zero expectation of winning. Besides, I’m up against some powerhouse bloggers. But I’d still love your vote! It would be like a virtual pat on the back from you to me.
My goal is get 50 votes by the end of today. Wanna show me some love? Click here, scroll down, and vote for Bunny & Dolly.
xx
Meeting the team from Better Homes and Gardens was a highlight of my Alt Summit experience — and not just because they gifted their Wednesday night dinner guests with fabulous goodie bags!
As a teenager, I dreamed of a career in magazines. Unfortunately, I let my journalism advisor at Boston University frightened me into believing I’d spend years as a struggling writer in New York City. She explained that editorial positions at the types of magazine where I wanted to work were just too hard to come by. Afraid of being poor and desolate after graduation, I decided to switch majors — first to advertising, then to public relations — so I’d have an easier chance at finding work.
I’ve held various public relations and publicity position over the years but always regretted turning my back on magazine journalism. I guess it makes sense that now I’m a blogger. I love to write and share information with others, and I’ve always been interested in fashion, design, and self-improvement. Since the opportunity to work my way up the editorial totem pole never presented itself, writing Bunny & Dolly and contributing to sites like Lifetime Moms lets me live out my dream of being a magazine editor. Well, a version of my dream, at least.
Back to Alt Summit. Having wanted to be part of magazine’s editorial team for so long, I was eager to attend the Wednesday night dinner sponsored by Better Homes and Gardens. I didn’t expect they would offer me a staff position on the spot, but I was curious to learn how I could get involved with their brand as a blogger.
Admittedly, I was a bit nervous about being one of BHG’s 50 dinner guests; I’m not an interior design blogger, I don’t cook, and I have a serious brown thumb. But then Kaelin Zawilinski, the editorial manager of BHG.com, said something that resonated with me. She explained that the magazine is no longer “your mother’s Better Homes and Gardens.” If the new BHG is for my generation, my point of view as a young(ish) mother interested in organization, family-friendly design, simple recipes, and easy, sophisticated style would be relevant to their readers–other women like me.
At the dinner, Art Director Kylee Krizmanic complimented my metallic-accented pants, and we bonded over the challenges of new motherhood and living in the Midwest. (Did you know that BHG is based in Des Moines?) The next day, feeling especially motivated, I showed her an inspiration board on my iPad that I had created for a home makeover project I’m currently working on. She remarked that she could definitely see the project as an online feature, if not in the magazine. Then she said something that gave me a boost of confidence to which I clung for the rest of the conference: She thought I’d be perfect as one of their Style Spotters bloggers.
Granted, Kylee is not the social media editor, and there are probably dozens of hoops to jump through before even being considered to join the BHG blogging team, but her comment encouraged me to not give up on this opportunity like I did back in college. So maybe nothing will come of it. But at least this time, I can say I tried.
Now for the fun stuff! Here are the goodies BGH gave out at dinner (clockwise from top left): New Decorating Book
I am SO excited to introduce Bunny & Dolly’s newest series, Desktop Designs: Wallpaper for Your Devices. Each month I’ll be sharing a new downloadable wallpaper featuring words meant to inspire and motivate.
For Bunny & Dolly’s first monthly desktop wallpaper, I chose the phrase “start now.” Sound familiar? Start now happens to be my theme for 2013, and I thought it was a fitting message to kick off the series.
While I like to think I have an eye for design, I’ll be the first to admit that I have zero artistic ability. So I enlisted the help of Mariah Danielsen of Oh,What Love Studios to bring on the pretty because we have have a similar aesthetic (aka, we both love Anthropologie). Although we started this collaboration several weeks ago, I was thrilled to be able to meet Mariah in person at Alt. Let me tell you, she’s just as sweet and stylish as her site suggests.
Next month’s Desktop Designs is going to be created by you! Well, sort of. Mariah will be doing the graphics, but I want you to provide the inspirational phrase or quote. In the comments below, share with us the words that motivate you. It could be anything from a slogan to a line of prose. At the end of the month, I’ll pick my favorite to be used in March’s downloadable wallpaper.
Psst… If you’ve never left a comment on Bunny & Dolly before, why not start now?
Download this month’s desktop wallpaper here!
1920 x 1080 / 1600 x 1200 / 1440 x 900 / iPad / iPhone 4 / iPhone 5
PS: If you need a different size screen resolution, please let me know.
Inside the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City is a magical place* called JouJou, the French word for “toy.” Packed with handmade finds, eclectic designs, and colorful confections, JouJou feels at once fantastically modern and quaintly old fashioned.
I would peek inside JouJou’s beautifully dressed windows several times a day on my walk to and from the Alt Summit conference. Having decided that I needed to buy Levi a souvenir toy, I finally popped into JouJou before heading to the airport. … READ MORE!
If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you may have caught a glimpse or two of my recent Salt Lake City escapades. Despite my nerves, I not only made it through all three days of Alt Summit without having a panic attack, I had fun. Lots of fun. And I learned a ton.
Sure, I have some regrets (like wishing I wore my Saturday outfit on Thursday when more people would have seen it) and made some silly mistakes (who puts on a full face of makeup but forgets to apply mascara?). Occasionally I fell victim to the comparison trap, which is hard to avoid when you’re surrounded by super successful and uber fashionable bloggers.
Overall, however, I’d call the whole experience a huge success because I actually achieved all four of my goals:
Rather than give you a play-by-play of my time at Alt Summit, I want to share some inspiring and business-savvy sound bites from sessions I attended.… READ MORE!
I woke up yesterday feeling ready to take on Alt Summit. Ready to take on the world, perhaps.
My best outfits for Alt had been packed the night before, and I was eager to begin networking with some of my favorite bloggers and brands. Chronic uncertainty had been overtaken by new-found confidence as I said to myself, “Hey, I can do this! I have something unique to offer, and people want to hear from me. I can achieve [insert random dream here].”
And then, as they say, shit hit the fan.
First, I found myself feeling jealous of another blogger-slash-mom who had just announced a super cool collaboration with a brand I would like to work with. Then I learned I was not among the chosen Alt Summit attendees picked to interview a certain celebrity making a brief appearance at the conference.
Insecurity quickly chipped away at my self-assured facade, leaving me feeling particularly insignificant. But before my disappointment could turn into a full-blown pity party, I forced myself to give myself a pep talk: You’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and doggone it, people like you!
Actually, my pep talk sounded more like this: “There is room at the top for everybody. There is enough success to go around. One person’s success has absolutely nothing to do with me.”
Over sushi yesterday evening, JB gave me another pep talk, reminding me that I’m not attending Alt Summit because I’m a hugely popular blogger but because I want to learn. And to have fun. So if I have fun with new friends and learn one new thing, I could consider the event a success.
Every once in a while, the boy knows what to say.
Alt Summit officially kicks off this evening with dinners hosted by various sponsors. I’ll be dining with Better Homes and Gardens — eek! Perhaps if I tell them that at my childhood dream was to become a magazine editor, they’ll offer me a job on the spot…
In the meantime, please follow along on Twitter and Instagram for up-to-the-minute Alt Summit updates. Oh, and wish me luck!
{photo via kcajnagrom}
The hashtag #altsummit was buzzing on Twitter and Instagram this weekend with chatter about packing for Alt Summit. Attendees like myself were asking questions about what to wear, sharing links to packing lists, and snapping photos of possible outfits.
If there was ever an occasion to dress to impress, it would be a blogging conference like Alt Summit. However, transforming the Grand America Hotel into a real world catwalk is not Alt’s primary intention. Alt Summit exists to bring together design and lifestyle bloggers to learn and share ideas and to connect with potential sponsors.
For an introvert like myself, just the thought of networking makes my hands sweaty. So I called up Andrea Nierenberg of The Nierenberg Group for a pep talk. She may be the queen of networking, but she actually considers herself to be an introvert–which gives me great hope! Andrea graciously offered networking tips to help me prepare for three days of connecting with bloggers and brands.
Pay attention because I have important news to share:
Bunny & Dolly is now @bunnyanddolly across all social media channels.
Wanna find me online?
That’s easier to remember, isn’t it? Now go and follow me on every social media site. It’ll be fun!
{photo by caterpiya}
In one week I’ll be arriving in Salt Lake City for Alt Summit 2013! My anticipation and excitement have been growing steadily since I purchased my ticket for the blogging conference back in August. I have literally been brainstorming what to wear, how to design my business cards, and ways to tweak Bunny & Dolly for the past five months.
(Which makes me wonder… When Alt SLC ends next Saturday, what will preoccupy me next? If all goes well in Utah, perhaps preparing for Alt NYC!)
In addition to time and energy, I’ve spent quite a few bucks to attend Alt SLC. Obviously, the major expense was the ticket itself, followed by airfare and hotel accommodations. Thankfully, I found two Omaha gals to bunk with at the super swanky Grand America Hotel. Jessica, Wendy, and I can each take turns sleeping on the couch!
Additional money was spent on aforementioned business cards (and paying a designer to create them for me) and some new pieces to perk up my stay-at-home mom wardrobe. Fashion is a big part of Alt Summit–so much so, in fact, that Nicole of Making it Lovely (whom I can’t wait to meet!) hosted two free classes on What to Wear to the conference. Friends, this is no joke! I’ve been shopping the sale racks in search of statement-making additions to my typical “design blogger” look. Sequins? Oh, why the hell not!
Alt is also hosting a colorful soiree inspired by the characters of the board game Clue, the idea of which put me in a total state of panic for multiple reasons. I think I found the perfect party ensemble, so now the only thing I have to worry about is working up the courage to mingle with strangers. (You’ll have to wait until next week to see what color I chose to wear!)
So what do I hope to gain from attending Alt Summit SLC?
1. Connect with potential blog sponsors
I’m eager to use this opportunity to build mutually beneficial relationships with some of my favorite brands, including The Land of Nod, Method, Minted, The Honest Company, and Serena & Lily (among many others).
2. Learn from more experienced bloggers
We all started with a blank page and zero readers, right? So why do some bloggers make it big while others struggle to maintain readership? Part of me thinks it’s a combination of magic and luck, but I’m hoping there’s more to success than a sprinkling of fairy dust. I’ll be furiously taking notes at the various panels on Thursday and Friday.
3. Build relationships with other bloggers
It sounds weird to say, but I’m excited to finally meet my friends–my blog and Twitter friends, that is! I spend a lot of time chatting online with gals like Mari, Melissa, Lexy, Erika, and Emily, and I can’t wait to have conversations with them longer than 140 characters. But I’m also hoping to meet new-to-me bloggers and to brainstorm creative collaborations to grow Bunny & Dolly’s content.
4. Break out of my comfort zone
It’s no secret: I have the tendency to be shy. (Perhaps, like Sandra, I’m an “extroverted introvert.“) Small talk makes me nervous. In fact, my hands are getting clammy just thinking about schmoozing with the other 649 Alt Summit attendees. By attending a conference where I have to put myself out there in order to get something in return (advertisers, collaborations, new friends), I’m hoping to boost my self-esteem level up notch or two. I’d love to walk away from Alt with just a little bit more confidence than I had when I arrived.
Will you be attending Alt Summit SLC next week? If so, please leave a comment and say hello!
{images via ALT Design Summit’s 2012 Flickr stream}
