best craft party ever | oliversfancy

Maker’s Summit 2014…wow, where to begin? It was such a full, full day of learning, growing, and playing that I felt a bit overstimulated and needed a few days to absorb all I heard that day . So glad I took good notes that I can review as needed.

As anticipated, this year was even better than last year. The amazing people who run Maker’s Summit did a great job putting everything together and making it all run smoothly. And the venue…set in a beautifully-refinished old mill. Everyone kept talking about how beautiful the light was streaming through the huge windows in this place. Definitely a perfect site for inspiration to germinate. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and learned a lot. I made some good connections and have a lot of ideas floating around in my head now.

But can I be transparent with you? I also learned some things I don’t want to do. Susan Petersen from Freshly Picked shared her story, and I totally applaud her success and drive. But, I don’t want to be her. Honestly, she, and several others, repeatedly emphasized that to get where they are now, one will have to face long hours of work and time away from your kids. It’s not that I’m afraid of hard work, but I have been feeling a bit of a pull the last few weeks about the need to be fully present in my kids’ lives, and this re-affirmed my desire for that. My 2 boys are so little, and (as people keep telling me) this phase of their lives will go so quickly that I don’t want to look back and regret not spending time with them. So I have no grand and glorious plans to be the next big thing. And I’m ok with that.

Celebrity sighting. 🙂 Rachel Faucett and Susan Petersen before their panel forum.

Jordan Ferney with the opening presentation

On the other hand, I do want to be involved in the blogging/sewing world. So don’t fear that I’m going anywhere. I love this blogging community and am so happy to be a part of it. I’m hoping to use some practical things I learned this past weekend to grow this little blog and make it a better place for all of us involved! Here’s a few highlights I took away from the conference.

Don’t be afraid to ask for things you want
Be authentic
Internet is becoming image based, not text based
Orange and Pink are the most popular colors on Pinterest (who knew? 🙂 )
Note the difference between inspiration and imitation of others
Make your own stories!

awesome swag bag

I’ll leave you with some fun pictures of The Best Craft Party Ever- the after party of the conference…really it was tons of fun and a great time to kick back and relax and also actually spend some quality time talking with attendees. I met some very cool people and had fun picking their brains and learning tons! Also shout out to Rachel Faucett from Handmade Charlotte. She could be seen all night long talking with people, really investing in learning their stories, and giving out great wisdom and practical ideas for success. There were a variety of craft stations set up all around the room for the party and of course I HAD to get to each of them! Mission accomplished. Successful night.