Getting out of the house is really important for two people who work from home. So whenever there’s an event or an opportunity to go explore, we take it. It’s become a tradition of ours to head over to the Holland Tulip Festival every year. This year we were particularly interested in checking out the craft show. We’ve been setting up our own booth for upcoming shows and wanted to see how the pros do it.
Of course it was freezing. It’s always windy and cold during the festival and I have yet to be prepared and dress appropriately. Maybe next year I’ll be adequately prepared.
In keeping up with the promise I made to myself we brought the camera along and although freezing, took a lot of really fun photos. I always love sharing a camera with Alex. It’s great to feed off of each other’s ideas and see how we can both capture the same event or moment differently.
This photo is my particular favorite. I wish I could take credit for it, but Alex spent a good five minutes setting up the shot.
It’s crazy to think that a year from now we may have our own booth at the Tulip Festival Craft Show. It’s thinking about things like that, that make me realize just how far we’ve come as a company. And how far I’ve come as an introverted person to want to actually interact with people in real life. It’s exciting to imagine people looking at our products and experiencing them in real life. Now here’s hoping it’s not freezing cold next year.
It’s been quiet on the blogging front lately as I took a break for our recent trip to San Francisco. All my pre-trip time was spent getting our shop in order rather than scheduling posts. We’re happily back in the cold mitten now and I can finally reflect on the whirlwind that was PlannerCon 2017.
So much happened. Like, beyond the actual workshops and speakers themselves. We met dozens of amazing subscribers and Helloigans between workshops and honestly the entire experience was a blur. Of course the peak moment of the entire event has to be when I got to meet Erin Condren. I was surprisingly calm and collected when I met her. Alex cried. Two types of people I guess. It’s just such a strange experience to meet the person you basically owe your life to. Without her planner and products we wouldn’t have our business. No business means no home. So it was great to be able to thank her and tell her about our life thanks to her company. She even ended up mentioning us in her key note address the next day. We fangirled. Harder than we’ve ever fangirled before.
It was literally the perfect long weekend. Not only did I get to hang out with fellow planner obsessed people, I also finally got to go to San Francisco. It’s been on the top of my realistic travel wishlist for years and there I was, walking to Pier 39 and seeing the Painted Ladies. I’m pretty sure I got sick the last couple of days in order to make the entire weekend more life-like; it was just too perfect.
So now we’re back in the tundra that is Michigan with tons of planner swag and more ideas than we know what to do with. We’re mulling around the idea of hosting a planner conference in Chicago next year, have loads of new product ideas, and are reaching out to business friends we made at the event. The weekend came and went faster than I could have ever imagined and I couldn’t be more thankful for the entire experience.
If you want to watch the vlogs and see what we got up to they’re all conveniently located below!
We’re currently off to help my parents move across the state, so blogging will likely return sometime next week as things start to (hopefully) settle down. Keep your eyes peeled for a PlannerCon related giveaway coming too!
We are just mere days away from heading to San Francisco for PlannerCon and I’m in full-blown packing mode. It feels like ages since I’ve flown anywhere so I’m taking the entire process very seriously. Plus I’ve never packed so many planner supplies before and I must say I’m pretty jazzed about it. So whether or not you have a planner conference to attend soon or just want a nosy look at what I’m bringing, here are the dets.
Honestly I’m not bringing much. From my experience hosting a planner meetup, people bring too many supplies that they never will use. I’m keeping things simple and to the basics of what I use most. I won’t be bringing my entire washi tape collection or a dozen different pens. Chances are I won’t find myself doing that much planning at the conference anyway.
I’m of course bringing my current Erin Condren Life Planner with relevant cover. Although I doubt I’ll be making a lot of to do lists during the trip, I figured my Rifle Paper Co Agenda should come too just in case inspiration strikes during one of the workshops and I want to plan out my next big project (hint: I want to create note page sticker options). I also am bringing a small notebook to jot down any ideas or notes from speakers.
I’ll also be bringing two pairs of each of my favorite pens, just in case. Nothing would be worse than having a pen die at a planner conference. The shame.
Although I won’t be bringing my entire stash of washi, I will be bringing some samples of my favorites to swap with fellow washi lovers. No need to tote twenty pounds of tape across America when a few feet of each style will do!
I must admit I do plan on bringing my entire sticker stash in my accordion file though. It’s small enough to easily tuck into a suitcase and it’ll be nice to have my favorite type of supplies around if I do find some time to plan. I keep my sticker collection a reasonable size for this very occasion!
I’m so nervously excited for PlannerCon that I’m sure I’m forgetting something. If you can think of anything, pop it into the comments.
Watches have always seemed like such a luxury to me. I’d see someone wearing a beautiful watch and think, one day I’ll have a watch that makes me feel like a million bucks. I recently acquired that unique watch and have been taking it on little adventures with me ever since.
Alex and I attended a wedding over the weekend near Port Huron, MI. It’s his old stomping grounds and I’ve surprisingly never been there except to pass through to Canada. So we took the remainder of our day to try out a famous local chicken joint and have a chai latte at The Raven. It was one of those days where I just felt pretty, you know? And my gorgeous watch might have had something to do with it. As soon as people see it they immediately compliment it. I was probably complimented six times that day, all because of a watch.
When I first heard about JORD watches, I couldn’t believe that they were made of wood. Say what?! Most of the watches I’ve had in the past have been bulky, heavy, and eventually ended up in some drawer ticking away the time to no one. Yet the Fieldcrest watch is so unbelievably light and I felt like I wasn’t even wearing it. Plus the light wood has complimented every single outfit I own; really pulling everything together.
Watches have a way of making me nostalgic to the days without social media and cell phones. Don’t get me wrong, I love the internet probably more than the next person, but whenever I put on this watch I feel like I’m giving a nod of respect to years past.
Do you wear watches? What’s your favorite accessory?
