Alt Summit #2: More friends, what they taught me, and their sweet ass blogs

Pam Kuebner {Photo Credit: Erica Berger}

The very first panel I went to was Blogging as a Business. Whoa.  Mind blowing.  One of the speakers, professional blogger, savvy Pam Kueber gave solid information galore on transitioning from hobby to $$$$$.  For me it was a tough love kind of panel. She has a blog many of you will be interested in, retrorenovation.com.  It is our daily dose of midcentury remodeling resources.  If you don't have ANY mid c. mod flair in your casita, that means you must be a joker.  

What Pam taught me = I NEED A LAWYER

This is my I need a lawyer face

First day of lunch I sat with Karyn Shonk who designs one of a kind, handmade jewelry and lives in Richmond, VA.  She had actually heard of AND read The Whole Pretty which of course thrilled me.

You like handmade, one of a kind jewelry?  Duh.

Check it: kshonkdesigns17.com

What Karyn taught me: Even when you are big and successful, if only in your own mind, stay humble and curious about upcoming artists, otherwise you come off as arrogant and boooooooring.

Kristin from The Cuisinerd                                      Kait from Yuppie Love

Well, I don't even know what to say about these two.  We worked it out at the White party and stumbled through a mind boggling circular buffet.  We felt like the Griswalds caught in the roundabout in London from European Vacation.  We simply couldn't figure out where to get on or off.  All the sudden I had a pile of chives and bacon and sour cream that I didn't understand.  AND THEN, I came across mashed potatoes and THEN, the martini glasses.  SEE, it was a mashed potato bar! But we didn't enter the roundabout at the right place.  Can you even believe the madness? Shenanigans abounding! 

What I learned from these 2: Safety in numbers when it comes to circular buffets.

And P.S. on these two girls, they both gave me instagram approval on my EmergenC/vodka martini.  This is how I know they get me.

And finally, when there was not EVEN standing room at the Growing Readership panel, I sat in the lobby and effed around on my iphone.  Like an angel sent straight from heaven, I found myself chit chatting with the incredibly engaging Kathleen Shannon.

{Photo Credit: Jeremy? Maybe?}

That's her.  She hosted a round table discussion at Alt Summit about Your Blog as a Marketing Tool. The only reason I missed it is because I went to the LEGAL round table.  Remember my lesson from Pam Kuebner?  Remember my "I need a lawyer face?"  Kathleen's blog is Jeremy and Kathleen. Additionally, she has a small business branding company called Braid. So, that's bad ass.  She also climbed Mt. Everest.  So, that's way past bad ass.  Like can't even see bad ass in the rear view mirror.

What I learned from Kathleen = Even when things don't go as planned, don't freak, you might be meeting a new soul sister instead.