The Blog Connect Conference 2018

This past weekend was the third annual Blog Connect Conference #theblogconnect hosted by PHL Bloggers. PHL Bloggers is an amazing community of bloggers and small business owners from the Philadelphia area. The conference was held at the lovely Saxby’s Headquarters at 2300 Chestnut Street. As the event was located at the Saxby’s Headquarters there was free tea and coffee all day long (including latte, espresso, etc. in any size)!

Once you arrived and checked in, you could get your headshot taken by Julia Dent (which I definitely got taken!). Breakfast which was provided by Saxby's consisted of bagels and cream cheese, fruit, and pastries. There was a chance to mingle and get settled in before the conference started promptly at 9:00AM. As this was my second year attending the conference it was so nice to see both familiar and new faces!

This year’s blog theme was: Find Your Roots. It’s all about going deeper into the skills you already have, developing good habits and creating content. There were many wonderful speakers and sessions all day long!

Listing of Speakers:

Emcee

Andy Shaw // Instafather

Keynotes

Sarah Von Bargen // Yes and Yes

Tara Gentile // CoCommercial

Speakers

AK Brown & Diamond Hudson // Just Bloggers: No Explanation

Len Markidan // Podia

Antoinette Minor // The Young Professionalist

Michelle Conron // Cashman & Associates

Judy Freedman // A Boomer's Life After 50

Amber Burns // Space on Third

Panelists

Jessica Lawlor Jessica Lawlor / Melissa Alam Femme & Fortune/ Sarah DeGeorge Socially Dedicated

After the morning speakers, we had lunch catered by Snap Kitchen. Snap Kitchen provides fresh, prepared meals using high quality ingredients. After lunch came the afternoon session with more speakers and breakout session. There was also a mid-afternoon snack break with Federal Donuts (seriously they are SO yummy!).

Here are the FIVE biggest takeaways which I took from the conference:

Morning keynote speaker, Sarah Von Bargen from Yes and Yes made us think What does blogging success look like to you? Success looks and feels different for everyone. In order to reach your version of success, you need to create habits which set you up for success. Those habits can be daily, weekly, monthly, etc - whatever it looks like to you. Success is not measured in how many likes you might get on Instagram or how many followers you have (which is SO important especially in today's world!). It's what makes YOU feel successful.

Len Markidan from Podia did a great presentation on How to earn a living from blogging without sponsors, advertisers, and affiliates. He discussed useful tools and steps in order to come up with a profitable course idea and using Google.com and Reddit.com to do your research in order to find a topic worth teaching. I thought was very informative and this got me thinking how I can apply this to my blog.

Judy Freedman from A Baby Boomer Woman's Life After 50 discussed How to avoid blogger burnout. And YES blogger burnout is a real concept! Judy spoke about mindfulness and certain techniques we can use everyday. One of my favorite techniques she taught us was
STOP – BREATHE – BE.

Antoinette Minor from The Young Professionalist spoke about What to post and how to post on social media. She suggests posting 1x day on Instagram, 2x - 1x day on Facebook, and 3x - 5x on Twitter. I have to admit I never gave much thought into how often or how less I was posting on these social media websites and it's so helpful to have a guide!

Michelle Conron from Cashman & Associates gave us insight into How PR agencies work with Influencers and Clients. Michelle gave us tips on what they look for when vetting through bloggers and influencers. It's also important for bloggers to have consistency among social media platforms (for instance when it comes to branding) and be able to back up your numbers.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, if you ever have the chance to attend a blogging conference I highly suggest it! It may seem intimidating but it’s really great to get out there, network and to meet new people! You honestly never know who you may meet and what new things you may learn. It’s also awesome to be in a room full of individuals who have similar interests with you!

The Suede Skirt You Need for Spring

Suede Skirt: LOFT / White T-Shirt: GAP 
Denim Jacket: H&M (Similar) / Greece Sandals: Steve Madden
Watch: Movado / Sunglasses: Sperry (Similar) 
Necklace: Kate Spade / Crossbody Purse: Tory Burch Robinson

I’m happy to say that I’m in full spring mode and finally wearing my spring outfits! Speaking of spring, I am LOVING this suede skirt from LOFT. It looks like a wrap skirt but it isn’t! I also love the tie detailing and the soft material. I would honestly consider this skirt a neutral piece so I went casual and wore it with a plain tee and a jean jacket. It’s honestly soo easy to re-create this look and I can’t wait to get a lot of use out of this skirt during the spring and summer. I also am also loving these Greece Sandals from Steve Madden. I rarely buy white shoes since they get dirty easily but these have held up really well so far! I can't wait to wear them when we go to Greece next month!

This weekend is The Blog Connect Conference in Philadelphia from Saturday to Sunday! The blog kick off party is Saturday and the actual conference is all day Sunday. This is my second year going and I am super excited! It’s really a great way to meet other bloggers from the area and to listen to some really awesome motivating speakers about various blogging topics! The best part? All the unlimited coffee from Saxby's you want and some awesome serious swag bags!

Asymmetrical Top for Spring Under $100

Top: Endless Rose / Jeans: JCrew
Nude Heels: Sam Edelman / Purse: Tory Burch Robinson
Initial Necklace: Kate Spade / Earrings: Givenchy / Sunglasses: Nicole Miller (Similar)

It’s FINALLY beginning to feel like spring! On Sunday the weather was absolutely gorgeous so the hubby and I decided to venture out for dinner. I love the energy in the city when the weather starts to get warm. It always feels as though everyone is hibernating in the winter and then all at once everyone decides to come out and play. There are always so many people walking around and one of my favorite things to do is to sit outside and have a meal (and of course people watch)! We ventured to Pub & Kitchen on Sunday which is one of my favorite spots for a burger and a  chilled glass of rosé.

I wore this outfit during our dinner outing on Sunday and I just have to talk about how much I love the details on this asymmetrical top. This one is currently on sale for under $100 and is a must have for the spring! I really love fancy tops because I can just throw them on with any jeans and yet look put together. There are also so many similar asymmetrical tops I've been seeing which I am linking below!

The Ultimate Girls Weekend in Montreal

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of going to Montreal for a girls trip! Between all of us living in different cities and hectic schedules it’s always so hard to find a weekend when we are all free! A girls weekend is all about catching up, exploring a new city together, eating yummy food, dancing the night away and making new memories together!

Where To Stay

We found a cute three bedroom one bathroom apartment on Air B&B near Mount-Royal Park. The place was a little small and the walls were thin so you could hear your neighbors but the place was cute and very clean! The location itself was really good as everything was walking distance or a short Uber ride away! The location is about 30 minutes from the airport (you can either Uber or Taxi which is $40).

As far as currency goes, there are only a few places that are cash only which included La Banquise (Poutine) and Notre-Dame Basicilia which take both American and Canadian dollars. We were also able to use our credit cards everywhere (just make sure there are no transaction fees!).

Itinerary
What To Do and What To Eat

Day 1 - Arrival Day

The first night we had dinner at Le Serpent. The place was industrial looking and really cute. For appetizers we started with the Beets appetizer and Burrata appetizer. For the main course I had the Bucatini which was really good. The portions are on the small side but the amount we ordered was just perfect.

After dinner we headed to the infamous La Champagnerie. I would highly suggest this place for a girls weekend or a fun night of dancing. The drinks were really good and we had an area by the bar. They will also let you saber a bottle of champagne if you want! There was also a DJ playing music that night (the music was on point!). 

Day 2

No girls getaway is complete without some sort of spa services! We had massages booked for all six of us at Rain Spa. It is located on the third floor of the Hôtel Place d'Armes. The 2,500 square foot spa has 10 treatment rooms spanning two floors. There are many different services, a traditional hammam room (included with any services more than 60 minutes), and a rest area serving teas and flavored water. 

For lunch what we initially wanted to do was go to Olive and Gourmando since they are one of the top rated place in Montreal for lunch. However, there was a 45 minute wait for a table so we ventured around the streets of Old Montreal and passed by the Notre-Dame Basicilia (more details on that down below).

While wondering the streets of the historic Old Montreal and in dire need of food, we discovered Venice MTL. We loved the atmosphere and vibe of this place (everything was honestly so Instagrammable!). We ordered poke, flatbreads, and tacos. Everything tasted really good.

Afterwards, we walked around Old Montreal and stopped in at Maison Christian Faure, which is a charming pastry shop for pastries and tea. It was honestly the best afternoon.

We then headed back to our Air B&B to rest and re-fresh for dinner and a night out. For dinner we headed to La Banquise which is the best poutine place in Montreal. They have over 30 different types of poutine and it was definitely worth the wait! They are open 24/7 so you could literally go there any time you want!

We ended the night at La Distillerie No. 1 which has the most amazing cocktails, a fun DJ, and board games! The menu was so much fun to browse through as it is unique. One of the owners of the restaurant was actually one of the bartenders! 

Day 3 - Departure Day

The last day we ended the trip with some yummy brunch and mimosas at Restaurant Hambar, which is located in the heart of Old Montreal.  

Afterwards, we walked over to the Notre-Dame Basilica which is a must-see if you are in Montreal. It was absolutely breathtaking and beautiful.

It was a great way to end the trip and we had a great time visiting Montreal!

What to Wear from Desk to Dinner

Jacket: Zara (Similar Jacket by Ulla Johnson)
V-Neck Shirt: GAP / Jeans: JCrew / Flats: JCrew (Similar)
Work Tote: Tory Burch (Similar) / Watch: Movado Bold  
Necklace: Kate Spade / Sunglasses: Sperry (Similar)

Come Friday there is always the same question I struggle with on a weekly basis which is "What office appropriate outfit can I wear to work and also wear out to dinner?"  Last week was the perfect example of this instance. I was leaving work at 5:30PM and had to be at dinner by 6:00PM over at Fat Salmon Sushi (soo good by the way).

For me the key to a desk to dinner look is a great jacket, polished pair of jeans and a great pair of flats. These high-rise skinny jeans from JCrew are currently my favorite and goes perfectly with these pair of pointy toe flats which are also from JCrew. Since I had a few meetings that day I opted for a beige jacket with a little bit of the fun tassel tie details.  My Zara jacket is currently sold out but was a total dupe for the Ulla Johnson jacket!

There are always a few rule of thumb that I follow when dressing from the office to dinner. The first one being is to always start with the basics. Make sure you have neutral closet staples that fit you well and you can mix and match. That could include a perfect pair of skinny jeans, the perfect fitting white blouse, or a pair of black pants. Secondly, add layers. I always throw on a blazer or cardigan while I am in the office to add to the professional look which can be removed at dinner. Last of all, I always freshen up before heading out the door – may that be running a brush through your hair, powdering your nose and a spray of perfume!