So last weekend was Creative Estates in the absolutely beautiful Chandler, Arizona… (truth be told I wouldn’t be opposed to living there if 1. it wasn’t so hot in the summer & 2. I didn’t love Nashville so much!). I took absolutely no pictures at Creative Estates (dork, I know!) but thankfully lots of other people did & they are floating around the internet. You can actually check out the official flickr group here.

 

 

Anyway, lots of good lessons were learned by all. There were lots of giveaways, lots of cupcakes and lots of fun people! Seriously, there were so many tweets going on throughout the conference it was amazing. It was probably one of the only places being on twitter was absolutely acceptable while people were talking.

Some good lessons learned….

Achieve your own level of success.
Not everyone is going to like you.
Keep one notebook for all your ideas… I need a pretty one!!
Celebrate little steps.
Don’t worry about competition in blogging. There is room for everyone.
Do what you do well.
Be yourself.
Reserve your domain name (you will want it!)
Connect with others

and so much more….

I also learned some fabulous camera tips from Kami @ No Biggie such as get in close to your subject to capture the fine detail, pay attention to depth of field, backgrounds can really compliment (bedsheets, wrapping paper, poster board), remember the rule of thirds, and of course take TONS of photos!

Kami also joined up with Jen from Tatertots & Jello and did a fabulous DecoArt Canvas workshop.