Finding My Place - Haven Conference Recap

There are so many things that I’d like to say about the Haven Conference this past weekend, but I honestly think it could turn in to a mini book (if you want to just see the pictures, scroll down).  I'll try to keep this as brief as possible... but no promises!

Haven 2015 was held in Atlanta and DIY bloggers from around the US gathered together, shared knowledge and experiences and above all else, gave encouragement to those of us that are just starting out.  It was one of those moments we all have in our life, where everything tells you,

"Right now, you are right where you are supposed to be."

We all stayed at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead in Atlanta.  What a beautiful hotel!  Here is the view we woke up to each morning from the 24th floor.

Friday morning the training began and I took notes like a crazy woman.  Here are 4 of the most impressionable things I took away from the sessions I attended.

1.  Decide your purpose with your blog and own it – this made me think... what is my purpose? I love doing things around my house that most people would hire a contractor for… but why? The first time I decided to complete a project myself was after we purchased our house. I had a handyman give me a quote for installing crown moulding on my cabinets. It was a crazy amount of money that he wanted… just to put some wood up on top of my cabinets. I thought right then, I am a smart girl… I can surely do just as good of a job as this GUY. I mean…he’s a MAN and honestly…he didn’t strike me as the creative kind. If he can do it, why can’t I?? I bought myself a miter box and hand saw and went to work. It certainly was not perfect, but it gave me the confidence that I needed to jump into the DIY world. I want my readers to be "Fearless".  Don't be scared of doing something to your house.  My favorite thing at the end of a project, is looking at what I've created and saying, “I did it, it may not be perfect… but I tackled it and gave my all".

I also LOVE redoing furniture. Pieces that are old and have character, that I can breathe new life in to, are special to me. I work a full time job that I love, but I am so much more than “that job” and there is nothing more relaxing to me than coming home and working with tools and paint and feeling like I have added a little more value to our house or made a masterpiece out of something that no one else noticed.

So my purpose with the blog is two-fold… HOME DIY and REPURPOSING FURNITURE.

2.  Make readers feel comfortable in your space. After sitting through that session I have decided to completely revamp my site. I currently have a designer working on mock-ups of a new logo and also a blog design. So that is very exciting!  I'm going to show you, not only the finished product, but also things that can go wrong along the way and how to fix them.  Be fearless.

3.  Blog regularly – this one I struggle with. I take pictures of everything I do in our house and with refurbished furniture, but I don’t always get around to putting it all together in a post. I am workig on a schedule where I devote a certain amount of time each week to writing.  Many of my posts are updates on projects, not “how-to's". The posts that do have directions are certainly my most popular, so look for more how-to tutorials coming up.

4.  Embrace Instagram – I’ve had a personal Instagram page for a while, but never posted much. I have decided to start using that for my blog as well. You can follow me @MrsRoehm It’s a great way to share pictures of in progress projects and can be posted the same time over to Facebook.

There is so much more that I learned, but these (for me) were the most important. Ok, now on to the pictures!!

 The keynote speaker was John Acuff, he was absolutely amazing!

Next, I went in to a Home Depot sponsored Do-It-Herself workshop...

 Where we made these awesome serving trays!  I put mine together, painted and tiled the bottom.  I love how it turned out and getting that tile to fit without too much space on the sides was a trick...because we had no tile cutters!  I was ripping tile off the mesh backing and turning it to fit!

 Ryobi sponsored a workshop where we made single serve coffee dispensers.  It was so much fun, and I fell in love with the Ryobi Airstriker cordless nailer.  OMG,, it's going to be my next tool purchase!

UNLESS my new love for Kreg Jigs get to me first!  The awesome girl at the booth gave me a Kreg Jig R3, but we used the R5 in class to build a farmhouse table, and after that... I'm spoiled.

Here we are with some of the materials for the farmhouse tables. I believe 10 of these were made in our session and they were all being donated to Habitat for Humanity when the conference was over.  I hope the new owners make as many memories sitting at it as we did making it!

The other great session I went to was Amy Howard Painting techniques.  I've used all different kinds of chalk paint before, but her One Step product is by far the best I have used.  I plan on ordering some to finish up some projects (or maybe for my kitchen cabinet re-do).

 Home Depot spoiled us the first night with a packed swag bag delivered to our room.

 At their booth they were showcasing (and ended up giving away) the new Dremel 3D printer.

The closing speaker was Mandi from Vintage Revivals.  If you have never checked out her blog, go now.  I give you permission, leave mine and go see her.  She is the most authentic, sweet and funny person.  To meet her is to absolutely fall in love with her.

And that ended the best conference that I have ever attended.  If you've ever thought about going to Haven and haven't... trust me.. go!  I'll be registering as soon as the 2016 link comes up... but next time I think I'll fly.  Because this happened on the way home! 

Two busted tires and two bent rims!  My husband hit a curb in Atlanta right in front of the hotel and it was such a mess! I was so happy that he was ok though, it could have been very bad. I ended up renting a car to come home and left him down there to get the car fixed.  So yes, next year... I'll be arriving by plane!