Sugar Bee Crafts

SNAP for Saturday

2013-05-18T13:00:00.000-05:00

Saturday was another full day - and the last day of SNAP. I wanted to get into some classes that were smaller, so I could chat more and get to know other people. All the classes I took on Saturday were good ones, and all were in smaller rooms, so it was a win-win.

Breakfast in the hotel was always filled with bloggers - how fun!

--Succulents and Terrariums
I really loved this class - maybe because it was a topic that I knew absolutely nothing about. But I was in awe - seriously, check out this wreath!

And in an old dump truck - loved that!

-Succulents are a cross between a houseplant and a floral arrangement - can last a couple of weeks or a couple of months.

-Moist environments (lids) - condensation on lid is good, condensation on the sides, it's too wet

-Cut at an angle

-The Living Wreath Book

-the key to succeeding with succulents is to neglect them near to death :)

And we got to make the CUTEST succulent necklace:

--How To Make Google Love Your Blog
This was an excellent class as well - very direct and informative. One of my favorites. Court really knows his stuff and how to present it so that it's learnable and doable.

-Google isn't complicate - the math is on how it affects your blog is A+B+C=Love. Which is High Quality Score + Effective Key Word Integration + Getting Links and Shares.

-High Quality Score - fix site errors (broken links and 404s - this is on my to-do!) and don't link to bad sites (like sketchy paid links). Also have a good user experience (link to yourself, keep people on site) and solid link structure.

-Key Word Integration - key words in post title and post itself (no need to overdo it). Very specific descriptions. Keywords in image names. Relevant tagging.

-Getting Links and Share - **this is 90% of what matters**. It's a global popularity contest. Each blog post is an INDIVIDUAL SEO project. Maximize what you can do to promote links is what matters (not social shares). Edit old posts to include links of a new post.

--Ready Set Create with Lowe's

Over lunch there was a contest where we were divided up and challenged to make something. Our team cranked out an awesome Kid's Art Station. The downside was that there weren't drills or nails available so the whole thing is held together with hot glue - true story.

My awesome team was myself and
Sarah from Craft Quickies
Jamielyn from I Heart Naptime
Courtney from Sweet C's Designs
Natalie from A Turtle's Life for Me
and big thanks to Kristen Duke Capturing Joy for grabbing my phone and snapping a few pictures of us in action

Must be doing some hard thinking in this one:

And a couple of in-action ones from Ariean of One Krieger Chick - - thanks!

alright, back to classes...

--Working with Virtual Assistants
This was great and I am on-board with hiring a virtual assistant - coming out of the class, I just thought, why would I NOT hire one - it's a no brainer.
-read the book Hire Blog Help
-you can go deep or go wide, but you can't do both
-make a list of all your "hats" and look at what you want to do versus what just takes up your time that you don't like to do
-know what you need help with - emails, giveaways, social media, etc.
-you can't see the bigger picture if you're stuck in the day-to-day grind

--Pattern Drafting

This class was super fun because it was hands-on and appealed to something I love. Can't wait to sew up a skirt using the pattern I created. I didn't take any notes because the whole class was hands-on, taught by the Simple Simon and Co girls - who gave out these cute favors to everyone (taking pictures of their stuff instead of them, since they like to hide)

Working hard (thanks to Kari of U-Create for the pic)

--Keynote and Closing Party

I didn't remember to bring my notebook to the closing keynote speaker. She was more of an inspirational speaker, and I think I relate more with a humerous take on presentations, but she had some great things to say. After her was the Closing Party - - too bad I went down with a killer headache during the middle of the speaker, so I just stayed for a few photo booths and then drug myself back to the room where I tried to sleep it off. And missed all the fun.

Heading Home - -
technically this was Sunday but I didn't think it was worth it's own post...

Packed to the max. Wearing layers and big shoes that wouldn't fit in my suitcases. Carrying umbrellas, etc.

And I was welcomed home to my own welcoming crew of awesomeness:

For more about my experience at the SNAP Creative Bloggers Conference, see this post.

Sugar Bee Crafts

SNAP for Saturday

diy typography printable

$100 Target Gift Card

SNAP from Friday

Reusable & Customizable Cake Toppers

My Backyard Oasis, with TIKI Brand Fire Sculptures

SNAP from Thursday

Modern Pajama Pants

Showing Off - Reader Feature

Showing Off - my picks

Deal Alert - ruffled ribbon and thread

WIWW - Shopping Date

Take-A-Look Tuesday

Baby Name Pennant (with Chipboard)

DIY Chalkboard Pot (and giveaway!)

Mother's Day Reminder - Get in Those Pictures!

ever heard of Hometalk??

Pics N Props - review and giveaway!

Mother's Day Photo Gift Ideas

Photo Glimpse - InstaFriday

How to Wear a Denim Vest- Fashion Contributor

Social Power - change something!! #socialpower

Banyan Girl's Top, times 3

Giant Photo Strip, for cheap, Tutorial

Showing Off - Reader Feature