tips and tricks Archives - Two Twenty One

What to Take to a Blog Conference + Printable Checklist

March 25, 2013

In a few weeks I’m heading to SNAP!, a crafts and home DIY blog conference in Salt Lake City. I’m pretty excited because I had an amazing time at Haven last year. Blog conferences are downright fun. You’re with your people. They get you, and you get them. Plus, you learn a lot.

Around this time is when bloggers start to freak out a little about what to take to a blog conference, especially newbies. Do I take my laptop? Will I need my DSLR? What will I wear?!

Now, I’m not an expert because I’ve only been to one conference, but I quickly learned what to bring and what not to bring. So let’s start with your blogger bag. It’s the bag you’ll carry with you during the conference.

1. Bag
In order to have a blogger bag you’ll need a bag. A nice sized tote is a good choice. Feel free to splurge and get a smaller bag to curtail the little stuff you’ll put in the bag.

2. Smartphone
This is kind of a no brainer, but you’ll want your smartphone. You’re going to want to tweet people and post pics of you and your favorite bloggers on Instagram. You’re also going to want to use your smartphone to take photos.

3. iPad/tablet
An iPad is great for taking notes in breakout sessions, especially if you prefer typing over writing.

4. Notebook
You’ll want a notebook for notes (obviously), especially if you don’t bring a tablet. I used my notebook and iPad at Haven last year.

5. Pens
Bring more than one pen. You’re bound to lose one. Plus it’s nice to have a couple to lend people who forgot or lost theirs.

6. Business Cards & Holder
You’re at a blog conference to network so it’s kind of silly to show up without business cards. (Read about mine here.) And you don’t want to fumble around your bag for your cards when someone asks for one, so invest in a business card holder. There are plenty on Etsy.

7. Mints
Who wants to have rank breath when they meet their blog idol? No one. That’s who.

8. Hand Lotion
Sometimes you hug people, sometimes you shake hands. Which now reminds me that I should have put hand sanitizer on this list. Anyway, keep your hands moisturized for all the hand shaking with some lotion.

9. Water Bottle
Wet your whistle. You’ll be talking a lot.

10. Lip Gloss
Sometimes you hug people, sometimes you kiss people. Hah. Just kidding. Keep your smackers looking pretty and hydrated with some lip gloss.

11. Smartphone Backup Battery
Your phone battery will die. I promise this will happen to you. Save yourself a headache and invest in a smartphone backup battery.

1. DSLR camera
I lugged my DSLR all the way to Haven to not use it. I took photos with my iPhone or if I was in a photo taken with a DSLR I’d ask the DSLR’s owner if she could email me the pic. Worked out fine for me.

2. Laptop
I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary to bring your laptop. I didn’t take one to Haven since I had an iPad. You won’t have time to work on blog posts or edit photos at a blog conference. Leaving your laptop at home means one less thing you have to drag around the airport with you.

3. Duffel Bag
To put the bodies in. Just kidding. There’s typically a fair amount of swag at blog conferences. If you’re flying, I recommend bringing along a durable duffel bag in your checked bag. When the conference is over, you can put your dirty clothes in the duffel bag and your swag in your suitcase. This way you’re able to take your swag home with you. Trust me, it’s no fun leaving swag behind. Since you’re only flying one way, the checked duffel bag should only cost you an additional $20-$25 to get it home. Darn airlines making us pay for checked bags nowadays.

4. Media Kits
Your media kit is a piece of paper that tells all about you and your blog. Some things you’ll find on a media kit are: type of blog, history of the blog, photo of the author, about the author, statistics, some blog photos, advertising policy, brands the author has worked with, etc. Media kits come in handy when meeting and talking with brand representatives.

5. Power Strip
If you’re going to have 3+ roommates you may want to consider bringing a power strip so there will be enough outlets to charge all of your electronics. However, I stayed with two other girls at Haven, and I never used the one I brought because there were enough outlets for the three of us.

6. Roommate Gifts
Some bloggers will bring little gifts for their roommates as a preemptive apology for passing gas or hogging the bathroom mirror. Just kidding. Kind of. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. It could be a candle, their favorite candy, or some cute stationary. If this gives you anxiety (will my roommates bring me a gift and I’m the jerk who shows up empty handed?) talk to your roommates about it beforehand and tell them you don’t expect a gift or settle on everyone bringing a bag of dried fruit candy to share. Or you could take it to the next level and do a white elephant of sorts.

7. E-reader
If you’re going to be spending a lot of time flying or hanging out in airports between flights I recommend bringing your e-reader along. You won’t need it during the conference. Unless you’re totally anti-social. But that won’t happen because you’ll be with your people, remember?

Now, because I’m the nicest person in the world, I created a blog conference packing checklist for you. Oh, stop it. You don’t have to tell me how awesome I am.

I added the lines next to the clothing and accessories so you can specifically list which pieces of clothing you want to bring (ex: blue dress, jean jacket, emerald earrings).

Click on the image to download the checklist.

Do you have to bring everything on the checklist? No. Decide what you want to bring based on what you think your needs are. If you won’t use your laptop, don’t bring it. But please bring your deodorant. You’ll definitely need that.

Will I see you at SNAP?
Any blog conference tips for newbies?
Is there something you bring to conference that I left out?

I’m sharing this at the following parties: Home Stories A to Z, Tatertots and Jello, House of Hepworths, Liz Marie Blog, The Shabby Nest, Positively Splendid, Whipperberry, Classy Clutter, Today’s Creative Blog, Uncommon Designs, Craftberry Bush, Design, Dining, & Diapers, Crafty Scrappy Happy, Snap Creativity, and Serenity Now.

This post contains affiliate links.

29 Comments · Filed Under: blogging, organization, printables, tips and tricks, unsolicited advice ·

I Have A DSLR Camera, Now What?

January 2, 2013

Congratulations on your new digital SLR camera! It’s such an exciting grownup toy! But where do you start? By reading this post, of course. I’ve been practicing photography off and on for 15+ years, and while I’m far from a professional, I compiled my biggest tips for what to do once you have your paws on a shiny, new DSLR camera. But don’t run away if you’ve had your DSLR for some time– many of these tips are beneficial to you too!

I Have a DSLR Camera Now What?

Insure your camera and equipment. I don’t know about you, but it makes sense to me to insure a $500+ piece of equipment that can be easily dropped or stolen. Add your camera and all your equipment to your homeowner’s or renter’s policy. To give you an idea of the cost, it’s $27 per year for me to insure $1,800 worth of equipment. And that’s with no deductible. Completely unrelated: another item you should insure? Your engagement and wedding rings. Now give your insurance agent a call.

Get a UV protection filter for your camera. I cringe when I see people using their DSLRs without UV protection filters, especially those who tout themselves as photography and camera savvy. It takes everything in me to keep my mouth shut when I see this. Why do you want a filter for EACH of your lenses? Because if you happen to drop your camera or a lens, the filter will break and not the lens glass. It also protects the lens glass from scratches, fingerprints, dust, dirt, sand, etc. There are different grades of UV protection filters, ranging in price from $5 to $130+. I have $7 Tiffen filters on all of my lenses. I may upgrade one day, but for now I’m good to go with my inexpensive filters.

Read your DSLR camera manual. Like with any sport or hobby, practice makes perfect. Sorry to break it to you, but just because you have a fancy schmancy DSLR doesn’t mean you’re going to be an amazing photographer over night. Just because Joe Schmoe buys an expensive guitar doesn’t mean he’s instantly going to be the next Jimi Hendricks. Pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down? Want to learn how to take awesome photos? Read your manual. Learn about your camera and its capabilities. Yeah, it can be boring, but have your camera with you while you read and play with the settings and practice as you read the manual.

Play around with your DSLR camera. This goes along with reading the manual– play around with your camera. You’re never going to get better at photography, especially shooting in manual, if you don’t put your camera to use.

Read online photography tutorials. There are so many free photography tutorials out there. Start a photography Pinterest board (here’s mine) to organize all the tutorials you’d like to read and try out with your camera. Just with reading the manual, have your camera with you while you read tutorials so you can try out the settings mentioned in the tutorial you’re reading.

Invest in extra DSLR camera equipment. Yeah, your camera is great, but add some extra equipment and your photos can be even better. Here are my top 4 additional pieces of equipment: tripod, remote shutter release, 50 mm lens, and Photoshop. Why buy a tripod? Because when you’re shooting in manual you’ll need a longer shutter speed for some shots. If you’re holding your camera the photo will come out blurry, if it’s on a tripod it’s less likely to be blurry. Tripods range in price from $30 to $200+. Why buy a remote shutter release? Well, you don’t absolutely need one of these because you could use the 2 second timer on your camera, but I’m impatient. You want a remote shutter release because when you snap a photo using your finger you can vibrate the camera, causing the photo to come out blurry. You’ll use your remote shutter release with your tripod. Remote shutter releases range in price from $2 to $100. Mine was $15. Why buy a 50 mm lens? Because it’s a great lens for under $125, and it’s the favorite lens of many photographers. Why invest in Photoshop? Because SOOC (straight out of camera) shots will only take you so far. Can’t afford the $550+ price tag? Check out Photoshop Elements ($70) or Photoshop Lightroom ($120).

Write off your DSLR camera on your taxes. Are you a blogger? Will your camera primarily be used to take photographs for your blog? Do you make money off your blog and file taxes as a small business? Then write your camera and additional equipment off as a business expense.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I’m neither a CPA nor an insurance agent. Disappointing, right? If you have specific questions please consult your accountant or insurance agent.

I hope you found these tips to be helpful. As with purchasing anything, please read reviews and do your research before buying specific photography equipment. I can only speak for the items I’ve purchased for my specific DSLR cameras (Canon Rebel XT and Canon 7D). Best of luck with your DSLR!

Were these tips helpful to you?
Do you have a tip you’d like to share?

I’m sharing this at the following parties: Home Stories A to Z, Tatertots and Jello, House of Hepworths, Tidy Mom, Liz Marie Blog, The Shabby Nest, Positively Splendid, Whipperberry, Funky Junk Interiors, Classy Clutter, Today’s Creative Blog, Uncommon Designs, and Serenity Now.

27 Comments · Filed Under: blogging, photography, tips and tricks ·

When Birds Attack… Your Dryer

December 19, 2011

This is a cautionary tale… and a true story.

It all started on a Wednesday this past March. I kept hearing a strange sound coming from our laundry room. Perplexed, I called Brad at work, told him about the noise, and said, “Could there be a bird in our dryer vent line that goes outside?” I’m pretty sure he brushed me off. By that evening the sound had stopped, so I figured if it was a bird, it went on its merry way.

Thursday evening I needed to do laundry. I put my first load into the dryer, set it for 60 minutes and went about my domestic business. After about 20 minutes I heard the dryer stop. I thought that was strange but then again maybe I had lost track of time. Brad was passing me on his way toward the laundry room so I asked him to check on the laundry. A few seconds later, I hear him say, “What’s that burning smell?” We tried restarting the dryer. Nothing. As you can imagine, my first thought went to that stupid bird.

source

A few days later our appliance man came over to figure out what happened with the dryer. Our problem? A sparrow. Decapitated and stuck in the blower of the dryer. Yep, “Jack Sparrow”, as I called him, decided to commit suicide in our dryer. Jack Sparrow managed to climb through our outside dryer vent cover (the crisscross pattern was big enough for the bird to collapse its rib cage to get in), and make its way down the vent line and into our dryer.

Our appliance man said that he does about a dozen of these bird removals a year. When he opened up the back of the dryer and declared that it was a bird, I handed him my camera and asked him to take a picture. He laughed and said that I was the first customer to ask for a photo. You betcha, appliance guy, I needed photographic evidence. Want to see the photos? You know you do. Ok, click here. Keep in mind that these images are of a mangled bird, but it’s no worse than looking at roadkill.

$125 later, Jack Sparrow had a proper burial… in our garbage can.

Our appliance man sold us a $5 pest barricade to put over our current vent cover. So, the lesson from this story is to buy a pest barricade and save yourself from a $125 sparrow removal fee. Remember, it’s getting cold outside and dryer vents are warm and toasty. Warm and toasty death traps.

And get this. A couple weeks after the dryer incident, I hit a bird with my car. Well, actually, it flew into the grill of my car while I was driving. I drove around with it stuck in the grill for the entire day until Brad got home from work to remove it. Was it bird revenge for Jack Sparrow? Perhaps. But I win, you lose, bird.

In closing, I’ll leave you one of my favorite Portlandia clips.

Have you ever had to deal with an avian suicide?
Be honest, who was curious and looked at the photos?

15 Comments · Filed Under: our home, random, tips and tricks ·

Hostess with the Mostess– Guest Bathroom

September 26, 2011

Hold on to your seats, friends. Today I’m granting you an all-access pass to our guest bathroom drawers. Please try to control your excitement.

Like most people I’d rather sleep in my own bed in my own house. Knowing how I feel when I stay at others’ homes I want to make our guests as comfortable as possible. One way I do that is by stocking our guest bathroom drawers with what I deem “necessities”.

It’s happened to me before, I’m staying with a friend and I wake up with a headache. My friend is sleeping, and I don’t want to wake her so I do the obvious– I start going through her stuff. Of course I feel bad as I’m opening every cabinet in her bathroom but the pain from the headache is worse than the embarrassment/wrongness/guilt of being a medicine cabinet stalker.

Here’s the top drawer. I save our dentist samples (toothbrushes, floss, toothpaste) and throw them in the drawer. No guest of ours has an excuse for bad breath or stuff in their teeth.

Here’s the bottom drawer. Please, please, please make antacids readily available to your guests. Nothing is worse than waking up in the middle of the night with major heartburn from the pizza you had for dinner and you can’t find your host’s antacids. Nothing.