My Experience @ Blog Elevated 2014

Hello again! It appears my digital detox lasted longer than I expected. A lot of awesome things have happened since we last spoke. For starters, something pretty cool happened about 2.5 weeks ago on Twitter. Wait for it…I won a full conference pass to Blog Elevated! I was beyond thrilled. I have never been to a blogging conference but it was definitely on my list of goals to accomplish by the end of the year. The best part was that the event was held on the island of beautiful Galveston, TX which was only one hour away from where I live. Can you say #winning?!  So last Thursday, I packed my bags and took the drive to the island. Once I arrived at the Moody Gardens Hotel, I will admit I felt a little nervous. It was the first time I had gone on a mini vacation alone and it was my first real blog/networking event.

Here is a quick tip for anyone (especially for introverts like myself) going to a blog conference alone: Connect with other bloggers on Facebook or Twitter and plan to meet. I did this prior to the conference. When I arrived at the welcome reception, we met and had a blast together. I never felt alone for the rest of the conference.

Blog Elevated, you were amazing! I learned so much about blogging!! I got to attend some fun events and I met some new blogger friends. It was a great experience.  Here are a few of my favorite nuggets from the conference.

I love this quote. If you are not a fan of your own work, then why do you expect others to become fans? Dayna Steele gave us some great advice to help us blog like a rock star. They are very simple keys that could be applied to all aspects of life really. 1) Believe in yourself! 2) Pursue your passion. 3) Continue learning. 4) Network! 5). Always be appreciative.

Note to self: You can make money from your blog! Bjork Ostrom from Pinch of Yum gave us some awesome insight into how to monetize our blogs. He was very transparent in showing us how he and his wife, Lindsay, were able to take their blog from making $21 a month to over $32,000 monthly over the course of 3 years #BallerStatus.

Our closing keynote speaker Kristen Welch of  We are THAT family, was by far my favorite!

Her story really touched my heart. She started her blog as an act of rebellion after she couldn’t get published. It was just a story about her and her story being a shut in mom with a sick baby girl with a heart condition. It was her outlet to the world. After a few years of blogging she was invited to Africa to meet a child she had sponsored in Kenya. After visiting the poor country her world was turned upside down. She turned to her blog to process her experience with her readers. This killed her blog stats but it also helped her see who her loyal audience was. After the process, she ended up birthing a non-profit organization called the Mercy House. The Mercy House helps teen mothers learn to care for their children and equips them with knowledge they need to make money. The best part about the story is that  nonprofit is being supported primarily by her loyal readers and other stay at home moms. Definitely goes to show that we all have a purpose. What we may think is a small venture can lead to something greater than ourselves in the future.

The greatest take away from the entire conference for me was that I am not JUST a blogger. I am an influencer. My blog and social media platforms are my digital legacy. I could use my blog for a greater purpose. My blog can be the tool I use to change the world!

Here is a photo recap of my experience.

Welcome reception event with Valentina of the Baking Fairy, Keitha of The Bajan Texan, me, and Robyn of Alpha State 

Keitha, Tiffany of Art Sea Chic and I taking a #BeGlamSelfie at the photo backdrop!

Brand to Bloggers Panel giving us great tips for pitching to and working with brands.

Lunch and laughs with Keitha, Aleshea of Glitz & Grits, Addie of Old World New Girl, Tiffany, and Daria of A Blossoming Butterfly

Matt Cherry of iBlog Magazine gave us 30 easy changes to promote giant growth.

Marie Bonaccorse of Proctor and Gamble taught us how to create cheeky content for our blogs. Have you ever seen the @charmin tweets on Twitter. She is the brains behind that operation. She is  hilarious. I loved that she said *mic drop* during her presentation.

Holly Homer of Quirky Mama proved to all the attendees that Facebook is not dead. It is an essential marketing tool for blogs if you understand the algorithm. 

Amy Locurto of Living Locurto taught us how to price our worth as a blogger. Great message and I was mesmerized by her jewelry! #JewelryFanatic

Food blogger Lindsay Ostrom gave us some essential tips about how to leave the auto setting on our camera behind and venture into the fabulous world of manual mode. Clearly from this photo you can tell I really needed this session! After the session, she taught me how to increase my shutter speed and ISO sensitivity to capture some awesome photos at my next fashion show.

I got caught in paparazzi blogger mode by Daria 🙂

All my new blogging friends 🙂

Thanks to Lisa and Bobbi for gifting me with one of the greatest experiences of my little blogger life thus far! See you in 2015!

Have you all been to Blog Elevated before? If yes, did you enjoy it? If no, let me tell you…it’s freaking awesome! You should definitely make plans to attend in 2015.