Custom Luggage Tags {and Business Card holder}

Did you guys notice our new logo? We changed it right before SNAP, to match our cute new business cards:

We thought it would be fun to make some gifts for our blog friends {and idols} to hand out at SNAP! But what could we give that was {1} practical... like, people would actually USE it once they left the conference, {2} handmade, and {3} would remind people of our blog? Hmmm....

What about luggage tags?? Get it? Suitcase? Luggage tags :) hahaha. So here's what we came up with:

We found these plain white luggage tags, and they were the perfect size to hold our business cards! They are really sturdy too, which is more than I can say for the last sad little luggage tag I had on my suitcase :)

To add a handmade touch, I traced the insert for the tags and cut them {by hand} out of some cute scrapbook paper.

Once I had all of the paper tags cut out, I adhered them to the back of the luggage tags with Mod Podge. It worked great!

Time to embellish... I used some paper from Dear Lizzy's Neopolitan Line {American Craft}:

Then I got out my trusty Target washi tape, and also created my own "washi tape strips" using scraps of paper and cutting the ends to make it look torn. I glued them down and they totally looked like little pieces of patterned washi tape! I was so excited! Once the design for each tag was complete, I added 2 coats of Mod Podge to seal and protect it.

Here is one of our first completed tags... {lovin' the polka dots}

I kept on embellishing, and tried to make each one unique. Here is a peek at the finished tags:

We made 25 in all :) I also made matching tags just for us... mine says "big sister" and Nat's says "little sister":

My favorite part about the finished tags was adding our business cards!

Pretty cute, right?

These ended up being fairly cheap and easy to make, and I hope all the new owners of our tags are enjoying them. {By the way, we still have a few tags for people that we could never track down!} I may be contacting you soon for your mailing address :)

This would be a fun idea for wedding party gifts, someone leaving for college, or even family reunion favors. Here's one last look at our custom luggage tags:

Linking to:

SNAP Recap Part 2: What Matters Most

We learned a lot at SNAP last weekend. Like, a ton. So much that our heads are still swimming with things we want to change on our blog, people we want to get to know better, new ways to use social media, things we want to update in our homes....the list goes on and on.

It was fabulous. For three whole days we got to trade in our pajamas-till-noon, mac & cheese-cooking, taxi-drivin', sleep deprived selves for fun clothes, high heels, delicious food (made by someone else!) and all sorts of great swag. It was really refreshing to be outside of our normal 24-7 job of being a mother.

But we missed our kiddies. It may not have been the first day, or even the second, but by day 3, I think everyone started getting a little homesick. (Maybe that's why everyone in our first two classes was a little teary?)

I absolutely loved how Vanessa put it in her SNAP re-cap {from SeeVanessaCraft}
If you are thinking of attending a conference, do it! You’ll meet so many amazing people and learn so much. Plus, you’ll get to wear that cute necklace that you never wear anymore because your kid always tries to rip it off your neck and you’ll get to sip Starbucks while surfing the web, uninterrupted for 3 blissful days (or until you find a stowaway toy car in your suitcase and you would give up all the Starbucks in the world to be home with your kid again).

{image/text via}

And so what did we take away from all this? What really stood out to us more than any other tip or trick we learned all weekend?

We can sum it up in this two-word phrase: BE PRESENT.

I think it hit Holly & I at the same time - during our last dinner together at SNAP. Matt Townsend, the amazingly hilarious relationship coach kinda put things into perspective for us. And as we looked back, so did many other presenters and women throughout the weekend. So many discussions were about how to balance blog & family time, and how our kids will grow up so fast. It was so empowering to be in a room with hundreds of other women, most of them moms, who were all trying their best to figure it all out. To do as much as they can but always remember what matters most.

So we are going to have this as our new goal. Be present. Present in your kids' lives. In your spouse's life. Be present in the moment, and don't let anything get in the way of those moments. You'll never get them back!

If you haven't read this incredible article from The Power of Moms, I encourage you to take the 5 minutes to do it. (And check out the whole Power of Moms website while you're at it!)

Power Of Moms Article: Your Children Want YOU! by April Perry

The article is a great reminder of what's really important. As bloggers and creative women, that is really hard to remember sometimes!

5X7 "Be Present" Printable

PDF   JPG

(there is no watermark on the printable version)

Here's to many more "present" moments with our families.

See ya Monday. :)

Linking to:

SNAP Recap {Part 1}

Our weekend at SNAP was incredible! To say the least :) We weren't sure what to expect {since this was our very first blogging conference} but any expectations we came in with were pretty much blown out of the water! Everything was fabulous, from the swag bag {THANK YOU sponsors} to the venue, the amazing speakers, and the entire SNAP team who made this event so memorable. The best part, hands down, was connecting face to face with people just like us. We walked away with some great new friends :)

The food at SNAP was pretty darn delicious. Is it because we didn't have to cook or clean up or sweep and mop under the table afterwards? Maybe, but still. Yum.

The company was even better. The first night at SNAP we sat at {seriously} the coolest table in the room.  We just walked up, asked if we could sit, and found ourselves with 2 other pairs of sisters just like us - Camille and Alyse from Six Sisters' Stuff and Katie and Ginny from Vintage Rose Wraps! It was serendipitous. We laughed about funny mommy stories and got to know each other a little better. It was definitely one of the best parts of our trip.

Meeting some of our blog idols was pretty darn cool. It was so nice to find out that they really are like all the rest of us... they didn't even make us feel weird when we were a little star struck! They were very sweet, down to earth, and funny :)

{1} Jen from Tatertots & Jello {2} Shelley from House Of Smiths {3} Heather from Whipperberry and Lara from Less Cake More Frosting

One of my personal favorite moments of the week {Holly} is when I first met Mandi from Vintage Revivals. We had just registered on the opening day, and were standing there trying to figure out what we were doing next, when she walked up to me and said, "You are so cute! We could be best friends!!" I was dying!!! She gave me a hug and was so darling. We then proceeded to explain how we are distantly related, and from that moment on, she called us "COUSINS!" every time she saw us :) We just might have a trip to DI planned together the next time we're in St. George...

One of our favorite classes was, "How to Get Noticed in a Crowded Field" with several media icons on the panel, including our favorite TV personality... Brooke Walker from KSL's Studio 5! Isn't she cute?

 

She had some great advice about how bloggers can prepare/qualify for a television appearance. Here are her 3 "O"s:
1. Originality - producers are always looking for an original idea. The worst thing you can say is, "Oh, I saw it on Pinterest..." If your project was inspired by something you saw on Pinterest or another site, at least put your own spin on it :)
2. Opinion - Know WHAT you like, WHY you like it, and don't be afraid to take a stand!
3. OWN IT - {This was my favorite advice} She told us to OWN what we create with presence and passion.

One of the other fun classes was with Beth from Home Stories A to Z... {yes, we met her!} She taught us how to create a simple vignette and accessorize bookshelves. Loved her tips, and can't wait to try them out in a project I'm working on :)

Despite all of the learning, networking, shopping and eating that went on last weekend, the best part for us was just experiencing it all together. We rarely have time to just hang out together {especially without kids}, so having 3 days of "my sis" all to myself was priceless :)

We were pretty bad at taking pictures, but want to give a shout out to some of the cute friends we met and hope to keep in touch with! These girls are amazing:

Andrea from Queen B and Me, Margo from the Blue Family Scene, Abbey from The Cards We Drew, Laura from the Corner House, Stephanie from Crafting in the Rain, Tara and Wendy from The Dating Divas, Kristen from Kristen Duke Photography, McKenzie from Girl Loves Glam, Kristyn from Lil' Luna, Kelli from Lolly Jane, and the darling sisters Camille and Alyse from Six Sisters' Stuff. Love y'all!!

We will probably be remembered as the crazy 80s chicks, since we decided to go forward with our plan of dressing up for the closing party.... Oh yeah, we broke out the neon, legwarmers, scrunchies, and jelly bracelets. We ratted our hair and embraced the blue eyeshadow. {Luckily, we had a few friends who joined us!}

In closing:

We can't wait for next year!

{We're linking to the SNAP Wrap Up Party and the Idea Room Wrap Up! }