Blogshop Recap

Happy Monday!  How was your weekend?  Lovely, I hope!  Mine was a bit busier than normal- but in the best way possible.  I spent all of Saturday and Sunday in Austin at blogshop, a photoshop bootcamp for bloggers taught by Angela Kohler and Bri Emery:

The truth is I've been obsessed with Bri since discovering her blog, designlovefest.  When she announced in 2011 that she'd be hosting  photoshop bootcamps specifically for bloggers, I knew I HAD to attend one.  I think many of you would agree that this girl just knows what she's doing- and her blog is on a completely different level.  

Besides learning the content, blogshop was so special because of all the pretty details.  We even got to enjoyed mimosas during the morning session! Local Austin restaurants provided lunch, boutiques donated items for each blogshop participant's swag bag, and Le Petite Fest provided this lovely backdrop:

Gorgeous bouquets from The Byrd Collective served as centerpieces on each table:

So what did I really think?  Here's my honest opinion:

Blogshop is expensive (~$750/ticket).  It was the only thing I asked for from my parents and boyfriend for Christmas.  Together they gifted me a ticket- so needless to say, my expectations for the weekend were set very high.  Before attending, I knew a little about navigating Photoshop to create mood boards, but that was the extent of my knowledge.

Bri and Angela did a wonderful job of teaching content quickly while also making sure we understood the steps.  When we would practice on our own what was just taught, they would play fun music in the background to keep the mood lively.  I am shocked by the amount of information they were able to squeeze in to 14.5 hours, and I feel confident that I can put in to practice what we learned.  We learned how to create our own blog headers, social media buttons, mood boards, gifs, adjust photos, and so much more.

The best part for me was learning shortcuts to things I had been doing that took way too long.  As all bloggers know, any time you can save when creating content is precious.  I also enjoyed learning Bri's own creative process.  She was very open to answering questions regarding advertising, content, collaborations, and her own blogging experiences.

Was it worth it?  For me, absolutely.  I love blogging and only want to continue improving my content and presentation!  Anytime I can learn more about good design (graphic or otherwise) I am all ears.  So I think it was worth every penny.  If you get an opportunity to attend, I say go for it! 

I loved learning how to create a virtual pin board:

{Image Credit: Angela Kohler; Flowers by Nick Knight;  Fashion Squad; William Klein 1963 Photograph; Vogue Australia}

Read more about the workshop here.