I’m off like a shot today, finishing up some work at the store before doing the final prep for Sadie’s birthday party later this afternoon. But before I zip off, thank you so much for your encouraging comments and emails (and even a few in-person conversations) after my last post! Sounds like most of you can relate to being overwhelmed on the home front in some form or another and it was really great hearing about your own experiences, tips and advice for how to juggle family and work or, more importantly, when to realize you simply just can’t do it all. So true. I won’t be taking on any extra projects this weekend but if I were, I’d definitely try my hand at one of these Valentine’s-inspired DIY’s:
1. I love a good marquee letter sign and this one is so cute for V-Day, weddings or just about anywhere really:
3. Speaking of beauty, Sunday Suppers is hosting a flower shop on Valentine’s Day (it’s in Brooklyn, NY) but I would love to learn how to make gorgeous “undone” bouquets like this one:
4. Oh, Emily Henderson. You, your style and your adorable baby have my heart (your husband’s ok, too 😉 and this embossed pillow would be perfect for one of my girls’ bedrooms. How cute to make as a gift for friends:
5. I’ve got a minor thing for dishtowels these days, not super sure why, but I just ordered a tonne for the shop (shh, the invoice hasn’t arrived yet) and I don’t own any particularly nice ones of my own. So many would look great framed though and I think these DIY ones would be an especially thoughtful gift:
That’s all for now! Off I go but wish me luck entertaining nine 5-8 year-olds this afternoon (Advil and wine are ready) and have yourself a wonderful weekend! Stay warm 🙂
This week hasn’t felt especially “busy” per say but I must admit that I’m in a total rut when it comes to housework and home organization and it’s really bogging me down. Spending my days at the shop (which I love!) makes the afternoons of picking up kids, sporadic grocery shopping and frenzied dinner/homework/bedtimes a total rush/blur/cranky mess and I’ve pretty much been a cranky beast. I have got to get it under control (or at least manageable!) but I’m having a hard time getting out of my slump. It’s Sadie’s birthday this weekend so I forced (ahem) pushed myself to finally hang a gallery wall in her room last night (something I would usually totally enjoy!) but I started too late, throwing off bedtime and my overall mood. But, silver lining, Sadie’s gallery wall looks great and I’m so glad I powered through. I just found this “Brave Girl” download that I’ll be printing off asap to add to it too, cute right? Since her room is mostly black, white + pink I thought the rest of these images were fitting too:
Any working moms or dads out there? Or worker bees in general? How on earth do you keep up appearances at home? My creative and renovation ambitions seem to leave themselves at Spruce these days and, let’s face it, I’m flipping’ tired by the time I get the kiddos in bed! But I generally do well under pressure and we’ve got 2 parties here this weekend so that’s motivation enough to hustle and get things somewhat in order. Just don’t open any closets if you happen to pop by for a visit! What motivates you to get sh#t done? Please share!
Before I get back to my usual blogging routine, I thought I’d share one last tidbit about my trip to Alt Summit 2014. When it came to meeting people, as I mentioned in my last post, it was all about the business cards. It took me a little time to get used to thrusting smoothly handing my card over to someone 3 seconds after introducing myself but by the end, it felt completely normal. Cards by no means changed my perception of people themselves but they definitely helped me remember conversations and put faces to the names when I later sorted through the masses. Here are just a few of my favourite cards from Salt Lake City:
I’m a sucker for letterpress, fonts + hand-drawn scripts and these ones are far too pretty not to mention:
Inspiring, aren’t they? I’m a big fan of simple cards that say it all at a glance but I love seeing all of the variations and design possibilities that others put out there. Do you carry business cards with you on a regular basis? I do for my shop, Spruce Collective, and think I’ll feel a lot more comfortable handing them out in social settings from now on. Practice makes perfect, right? If you want to hear more about my experience at Alt Summit, check out my tips here.
As many of you know, I jetted away to attend Alt Summit last week, a blogging conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. I’ve been asked numerous times (usually accompanied by a skeptical smile) what on earth a blogging conference actually is (and if there are more than 10 people in attendance!) so thought I’d attempt to sum up my experience for you. Alt was organized specifically for creative lifestyle bloggers like myself and topics each year range from “The Business Of Blogging”, “Personal Branding”, “Pinterest Strategies”, to”Growing Your Community” and many more. I went on my own (yep, that’s right!) and actually feel pretty darn proud of myself for taking the leap! While it would have been super awesome to have gone with a friend, not having a “wingman” really pushed me to introduce myself and yes, it was waaay out of my comfort zone. I definitely had some awkward/sweaty-palm/not-sure-where-to-stand-or-look moments and totally missed out on a couple of good interactions because of my own hesitation/fear/nerves but Que Sera Sera, so goes life. My only agenda (so to speak) was to be myself, meet new people and learn as much as possible to bring back to my Spruce partners and to apply here at Birch + Bird. And I’m happy to say that I feel like I accomplished all of my goals, yay!
If you’re looking to attend Alt Summit or another big conference in your field, I thought I’d share some of my top tips + things that I learned from my own experience in chilly Salt Lake:
Invest in eye-catching business cards: I am so glad that I splurged on mine! They were a great conversation piece and honestly stood out from the rest. I’ve never seen so many beautiful cards in one place so, yes, you definitely want yours to be memorable.
Plan out your outfits ahead of time: Although I’ve amped things up since opening Spruce fashion is an area of design that I have yet to master and I was freaking out the week before Alt. My sister-in-law Amy (who also happens to have been one of my best friends since high school) saved the day, in a very BIG way! We raided her closet (which is to-die-for!) for some key pieces (like blazers and statement jewelry) to mix in with things I already had. I chose outfits for each day (and night) before I left and it literally took all of the stress out of what to wear each day. Everyone at Alt Summit is dressed to the nines, not necessarily fancy, just entirely with it. But, to be totally honest, it all became one big blur by day 2 so don’t stress, just be prepared and wear what you feel makes you looks your best.
Stay at the hotel: By the time I bought my conference ticket, the Grand America was sold out so I booked another hotel nearby. Thankfully, some blogger friends had booked an extra room and I was able to cancel my other booking but I think my entire experience would have been much different if I’d stayed offsite. First off, the Grand America is gorgeous so I lived it up for 4 nights, mega perk! Also, I didn’t leave the hotel for 2.5 days. Like, ever. Sure, I felt mildly claustrophobic and Vitamin-D-deprived by Friday night but it was so great to be able to pop up to my room between sessions to drop off swag (there’s lots of it!), freshen up or simply take a break from the masses.
Go with your gut: I did my best to pre-plan what sessions I attended and had a good idea of what I wanted to learn before setting foot in Salt Lake. That being said, a couple of my favourite speakers were ones that I switched to literally 5 minutes before they started, based entirely on recommendations by past-attendees that I sat beside at lunch. So have a plan but be flexible.
Take what you need: On a similar note as going with your gut, if you start a session and realize that you’re not getting as much as you think you should out of it, leave and move onto another one, even if it’s halfway through. I did this twice and was so glad that I did. If you find yourself checking Instagram or catching up on emails, it’s time to move on. Not that what the speakers are saying isn’t awesome, it just might not be what you need.
Get around: Sure, you may go with friends or blogging/business partners but chatting with people you know every meal or break isn’t going to expand your horizons. I made a conscious effort not to cling-on to people I’d talked to before (it was hard!) and to sit next to new people at each meal. But I was lucky enough to know 4 awesome gals from Abbotsford though (hooray for Helinda + Lucy of Vitala and Laurel + Pam of The Sugarplum Sisters) which really made the parties a lot more fun! I had several moments outside of the Alt schedule that I wish I’d had the nerve to pull up a chair with a group of other bloggers but, sigh, I didn’t. Which brings me to my next tip. . .
Don’t get down on yourself: Seriously. The voices in our heads can make us crazy, can’t they? I’ll never be the most fashionable girl at the party or the funniest or the most outgoing etc, etc, etc. But I am me. Mom, wife, friend, store owner, blogger, over-achiever-extraordinaire. Yep, that’s right, I’m awesome and so are you! Sure, moments at big events like Alt may bring you right back to to high school and the cool girls but so what. We’re all nervous and insecure but we also all have a lot to bring to the party. So bring it! “Be yourself and nothing less”, which just so happened to be our “cool girl’s” motto in high school (it’s true, ask Amy 😉
Take time for yourself: Staying at the Grand America was a vacation in itself but I splurged and booked myself in for an extra day. My brain was so full by the end of the conference and I really needed some time to decompress. I also didn’t want to leave Salt Lake without taking a look around so I walked the downtown area on Saturday and was lucky enough to get the grand tour of Park City by my friend’s daughter later that afternoon. We just so happened to see Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd sitting directly behind us at dinner too ? NO JOKE! Overall, it was really relaxing to have so much alone time (I had more baths in 4 days than I usually have in 2 months!) but I do wish that I’d brought some workout gear along with me. I feel like it would have really energized me to hit the gym at least a couple of times during such a information-heavy event. Next time!
I left filled to the brim with ideas but also feeling confident, knowing that great things are ahead for me personally and especially for Spruce Collective. I also realized that the measure of success is very different to different people, and that for me, creating ideas and writing is truly what I am good at so I can’t waver and let self-doubt get in the way. A positive way to kick off the weekend, don’t you think? I’d love to hear your own experiences from Alt Summit or similar conventions so please share!
Hey there! I’m back from my first Alt Summit in Salt Lake City and returned home completely filled to the brim with information, plans and goals for the year ahead. It was a whirlwind experience and I feel like I’m still absorbing what I learned in the seminars, discussed at the round-tables and chatted about with countless other bloggers and attendees. Not to mention the fashion, thank goodness for my sis-in-law Amy’s help in that department! The word overwhelming puts it mildly for a conference like this one. For those of you wondering what in the world Alt is all about, you can find more info here but (in a nutshell) its basically a meeting of the minds for approx 700 bloggers, designers and creative thinkers from all over North America. Here’s just a teensy glimpse at what my time in Salt Lake looked like:
Can I just mention how incredibly stunning the Grand America Hotel is? Sooo beautiful (with chandeliers like the one above absolutely everywhere!) and I found it extremely sad to leave my suite (especially turndown service!) after 4 luxurious nights on my own, sniff sniff! The entire convention took place in the hotel and staying there, while a splurge, definitely made the experience all the easier and I had many a conversation in the elevator and lobby going to and from seminars and quite possibly several more over cocktails in the lounge 😉
The sponsors really pulled out all of the stops with lounges, DIY stations and swag for everyone and there was always something delicious to sip or nibble on in between sessions. To be honest, looking through the rest of the pictures I feel like I didn’t see nearly half of the displays or interactive DIY’s happening, there was simply too much to take in!
Although I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was really impressed by all of the speakers, starting with keynote Garance Dore and capped off at the end with Ben Silbermann, founder of Pinterest. You can see a list of the rest of the star power here too:
I’ll share more about my Alt experience very soon, including a few tips I learned and a several things I’d do differently next time. But overall, I had an amazing time and am so thrilled that I had the opportunity to go this year. My brain is already full to capacity and I haven’t even started sorting through the gazillion gorgeous business cards that I collected along the way! I’m looking forward to checking out many new blogs and websites and will definitely share a recap of my favourite card designs too. Talk to you soon!
Today is the day! I’m off to Salt Lake City to attend my first Alt Summit and couldn’t be more excited! The schedule is insane (in a good way) with so many great sessions to choose from and I know my brain will be bursting by the time I fly home on Sunday. Brad took some holiday time and will be hanging at home with the kiddos (so much easier than juggling them around!) and I know they’ll have tonnes of fun. While I’ll miss my sweet family, I’m sure my own (quiet) hotel room for the next few nights will more than make up for it 😉 As promised, here’s a peek at the new business cards I had made up for the Alt networking extravaganza. My partner Jessica helped me out with the design and I had them printed double-sided on two different types of wood by local printers, Jukebox. They were pricey but I’m hoping they’ll stand out in the crowd and I really love how the wood ties my 2 business names together.
As I’ve mentioned before, going to a conference of this size by myself is a big leap out of my comfort zone but I’m feeling pretty confident and know I’ll learn so much and meet so many new people that it’ll be well worth any wavering moments of self-doubt. I’m sure nerves will kick in pretty quick once my plane touches down but I’ll be sure to squeeze in at least a few zen moments each day to take the edge off, inspired by these pics:
I’ll take a little break from the blog until next week but you can follow my trip to Alt over on Instagram in the meantime. Wish me luck and have a wonderful week 🙂
Hey, it’s Monday! And after a weekend spent sitting fireside with friends, lazy mornings, and cozy evenings, I’m feeling refreshed and ready (sort of) for the busy week ahead. The countdown is on for Alt Summit and I’m so excited to hop on the plane first thing Wednesday morning. I’ve got my outfits ready to pack (my stylish sister-in-law Amy helped me out big time on that end, phew!) and am off to pick up my pretty new business cards this morning (I’ll share them with you asap). It’s been a long time since I’ve travelled alone and I must admit that I’m feeling pretty nervous-cited (my girls’ favourite word) to leap out of my comfort zone. Definitely more excited than nervous but going to a conference of this size on my lonesome is a huge leap for me, as it is for many I’m sure! So I thought I’d calm my butterflies with these cozy finds:
Do you travel a lot for work? How do you get over any initial jitters before the networking begins? Any tips are welcome 🙂 Well, off I go to work before getting my house in order for my time away but I’ll be back to chat as usual on Wednesday. Enjoy your day!
Happy Friday to you! The past few days feel all mixed up so it’s hard to believe the weekend is here already. My Spruce girls and I spent the weekend and most of the week tackling our office reno at the shop (you can see progress pics on my Instagram feed) and freshening up the store and I must say it’s looking so good! In the midst of it (but in the privacy of her hospital room!), our partner Kevi gave birth to a baby boy, so exciting! On another note, one of my unspoken goals this month was to connect more with the people I love and I’ve somehow managed to fit in 2 lunch dates and 3 evenings with friends into the mix. It just kind of happened that way (I think we’re all eager to come out of Winter hibernation) and although I’m super tired and my house is far from clean, overall it’s been a really fulfilling week. More excitement is on the horizon too, I leave for Alt Summit on Wednesday, eek! I feel far from prepared but thought I’d at least share some colourful finds to encourage a bright weekend for all of us:
Cheerful, right? I figured these pics all speak for themselves so I’ll leave it at that for today. Have a wonderful weekend and I’ll be back to chat on Monday!
Hey there! How did the weekend treat you? Mine started out pretty mellow but switched into high gear yesterday as we started our renovations at the shop. They are coming along great and it feels pretty awesome watching our storage and organization dreams coming together! But we’ve still got a solid couple of days of hard work ahead of us before opening our doors to the public once again so no chance of any R&R until then! I came across some pics of this beautiful Australian home last week and couldn’t wait to share them with you. If you can believe it, despite looking as though it could be a heritage shop conversion, it’s actually a newly built home! Home owner Carla Karsakis (of building design studio Etica Studio) has a passion for sustainable architecture and, together with her husband Ben, built and designed the home using recycled and salvaged materials, including some from existing structures on the property. Here are a few of my favourites and you can see plenty more (as well as detailed descriptions) over at House Nerd:
” I wanted everything to be recycled or secondhand, ” says Carla. ” We salvaged as many elements as possible from the garage and shed. This included jarrah beams, an old barn-style door which was made in England and a jarrah workbench which was constructed by the previous owner. “
Pretty cool, isn’t it? I’m totally in love with those Spanish tiles on the bathroom floor, what a statement! Enjoy your Monday!
Hey there! I’m back from my first Alt Summit in Salt Lake City and returned home completely filled to the brim with information, plans and goals for the year ahead. It was a whirlwind experience and I feel like I’m still absorbing what I learned in the seminars, discussed at the round-tables and chatted about with countless other bloggers and attendees. Not to mention the fashion, thank goodness for my sis-in-law Amy’s help in that department! The word overwhelming puts it mildly for a conference like this one. For those of you wondering what in the world Alt is all about, you can find more info here but (in a nutshell) its basically a meeting of the minds for approx 700 bloggers, designers and creative thinkers from all over North America. Here’s just a teensy glimpse at what my time in Salt Lake looked like:
Can I just mention how incredibly stunning the Grand America Hotel is? Sooo beautiful (with chandeliers like the one above absolutely everywhere!) and I found it extremely sad to leave my suite (especially turndown service!) after 4 luxurious nights on my own, sniff sniff! The entire convention took place in the hotel and staying there, while a splurge, definitely made the experience all the easier and I had many a conversation in the elevator and lobby going to and from seminars and quite possibly several more over cocktails in the lounge 😉
The sponsors really pulled out all of the stops with lounges, DIY stations and swag for everyone and there was always something delicious to sip or nibble on in between sessions. To be honest, looking through the rest of the pictures I feel like I didn’t see nearly half of the displays or interactive DIY’s happening, there was simply too much to take in!
Although I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was really impressed by all of the speakers, starting with keynote Garance Dore and capped off at the end with Ben Silbermann, founder of Pinterest. You can see a list of the rest of the star power here too:
I’ll share more about my Alt experience very soon, including a few tips I learned and a several things I’d do differently next time. But overall, I had an amazing time and am so thrilled that I had the opportunity to go this year. My brain is already full to capacity and I haven’t even started sorting through the gazillion gorgeous business cards that I collected along the way! I’m looking forward to checking out many new blogs and websites and will definitely share a recap of my favourite card designs too. Talk to you soon!
Today is the day! I’m off to Salt Lake City to attend my first Alt Summit and couldn’t be more excited! The schedule is insane (in a good way) with so many great sessions to choose from and I know my brain will be bursting by the time I fly home on Sunday. Brad took some holiday time and will be hanging at home with the kiddos (so much easier than juggling them around!) and I know they’ll have tonnes of fun. While I’ll miss my sweet family, I’m sure my own (quiet) hotel room for the next few nights will more than make up for it 😉 As promised, here’s a peek at the new business cards I had made up for the Alt networking extravaganza. My partner Jessica helped me out with the design and I had them printed double-sided on two different types of wood by local printers, Jukebox. They were pricey but I’m hoping they’ll stand out in the crowd and I really love how the wood ties my 2 business names together.
As I’ve mentioned before, going to a conference of this size by myself is a big leap out of my comfort zone but I’m feeling pretty confident and know I’ll learn so much and meet so many new people that it’ll be well worth any wavering moments of self-doubt. I’m sure nerves will kick in pretty quick once my plane touches down but I’ll be sure to squeeze in at least a few zen moments each day to take the edge off, inspired by these pics:
I’ll take a little break from the blog until next week but you can follow my trip to Alt over on Instagram in the meantime. Wish me luck and have a wonderful week 🙂
Hey, it’s Monday! And after a weekend spent sitting fireside with friends, lazy mornings, and cozy evenings, I’m feeling refreshed and ready (sort of) for the busy week ahead. The countdown is on for Alt Summit and I’m so excited to hop on the plane first thing Wednesday morning. I’ve got my outfits ready to pack (my stylish sister-in-law Amy helped me out big time on that end, phew!) and am off to pick up my pretty new business cards this morning (I’ll share them with you asap). It’s been a long time since I’ve travelled alone and I must admit that I’m feeling pretty nervous-cited (my girls’ favourite word) to leap out of my comfort zone. Definitely more excited than nervous but going to a conference of this size on my lonesome is a huge leap for me, as it is for many I’m sure! So I thought I’d calm my butterflies with these cozy finds:
Do you travel a lot for work? How do you get over any initial jitters before the networking begins? Any tips are welcome 🙂 Well, off I go to work before getting my house in order for my time away but I’ll be back to chat as usual on Wednesday. Enjoy your day!
Happy Friday to you! The past few days feel all mixed up so it’s hard to believe the weekend is here already. My Spruce girls and I spent the weekend and most of the week tackling our office reno at the shop (you can see progress pics on my Instagram feed) and freshening up the store and I must say it’s looking so good! In the midst of it (but in the privacy of her hospital room!), our partner Kevi gave birth to a baby boy, so exciting! On another note, one of my unspoken goals this month was to connect more with the people I love and I’ve somehow managed to fit in 2 lunch dates and 3 evenings with friends into the mix. It just kind of happened that way (I think we’re all eager to come out of Winter hibernation) and although I’m super tired and my house is far from clean, overall it’s been a really fulfilling week. More excitement is on the horizon too, I leave for Alt Summit on Wednesday, eek! I feel far from prepared but thought I’d at least share some colourful finds to encourage a bright weekend for all of us:
Cheerful, right? I figured these pics all speak for themselves so I’ll leave it at that for today. Have a wonderful weekend and I’ll be back to chat on Monday!
Hey there! How did the weekend treat you? Mine started out pretty mellow but switched into high gear yesterday as we started our renovations at the shop. They are coming along great and it feels pretty awesome watching our storage and organization dreams coming together! But we’ve still got a solid couple of days of hard work ahead of us before opening our doors to the public once again so no chance of any R&R until then! I came across some pics of this beautiful Australian home last week and couldn’t wait to share them with you. If you can believe it, despite looking as though it could be a heritage shop conversion, it’s actually a newly built home! Home owner Carla Karsakis (of building design studio Etica Studio) has a passion for sustainable architecture and, together with her husband Ben, built and designed the home using recycled and salvaged materials, including some from existing structures on the property. Here are a few of my favourites and you can see plenty more (as well as detailed descriptions) over at House Nerd:
” I wanted everything to be recycled or secondhand, ” says Carla. ” We salvaged as many elements as possible from the garage and shed. This included jarrah beams, an old barn-style door which was made in England and a jarrah workbench which was constructed by the previous owner. “
Pretty cool, isn’t it? I’m totally in love with those Spanish tiles on the bathroom floor, what a statement! Enjoy your Monday!
This Heart of Mine: DIY Marquee Sign for Valentine Day
My Name is Yeh: Valentine’s Cake
Sunday Suppers
Emily Henderson: DIY-Embossed-Pillow
Say Yes: DIY Tea Cloths
Agent Bauer: Marcus Lawett
Baker’s Royale: Blushing Kiss Martini
1. 
SF Girl by Bay
The Glitter Guide
Country Living
Forestbound Bags
Cartolina
Winter Cabin Collection
Love & Lemons
Homestyle Mag
Justina Blakeney
