Small Town Girl & Salt Lake City

My heart is full. FULL you all.

Let me explain…

A few months back, I was invited to speak at the Pinners Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sharing my passion for throwing parties & entertaining, was on the agenda, and I couldn’t WAIT to get to the mountains.

First Night in Camp

First day in town, we spent cruising around soaking in all that Salt Lake had to offer. Shopping ladies… TONS of shopping in Salt Lake.

I propped my computer open, and was along for the ride, working & scouting out where I was headed the next day, for a little retail therapy. 😉

We broke for lunch at the Market Street Grill, and I had to celebrate with a martini that was TO DIE FOR…

and a pound of shrimp cocktail. Yes, I shared with my hubby and friends… but I could have tackled this glorious pile of deliciousness on my own.

Our waitress was fabulous, and the food/drinks were superb. If you’re ever in the area… go. eat. here.

Change of Seasons in Minutes

My mind is STILL blown. After lunch, we headed out, and up the mountain to see the white stuff…

In just minutes of starting in beautiful, colorfully Fall leaves…

we were on top of the mountain, covered in snow. HOW? How in the world can you be in a warmer, colorful surrounding… and then minutes later, be freezing… surrounded by all the makings of Frosty the Snowman’s?

It was ABSOLUTELY beautiful.

Trip Outtakes

Hungry for a local pizza, we decided to order a “little,” take out… while we were there. I don’t know about you, but my hubby and I LOVE having a pizza delivered when we are visiting somewhere, trying new styles & flavors. Well… not looking closely at the menu, my husband orders:

Just bring us the biggest one you got. Pepperoni.

I must say, we learned our lesson of double checking pizza-size in the future. A 36 inch pizza {think about how big that is for a minute. There are typically ONE of those little white stands, in the center of a large pizza. There were 6.} shows up at the front door. I’m pretty certain the box had to be turned sideways to fit through the front door. We never finished the WHOLE thing, but did put a hurtin’ on it at least.

Checking in on the blogs Facebook page on Day 2 of the trip, I noticed Fantabulosity’s FB page reached 5,000 followers!!! I celebrated with another martini. 😉

A bit of “window shopping,” was on the agenda in Park City, and we found our inner snow bird “look.”

But they were $500 hats. We gently sat them back down after the photo opp., and ran out of the store, afraid we would be stuck with paying for something if we broke it. 😉

On day THREE, I visited Home Goods and scored the cutest little table for my Party Styling 101 Class, and decided that I wanted to give it away as a BIG thank you for attending my class. Have I ever told you how much I love Home Goods?

On VIP night at the conference, I popped in for a bit, and ran in to Gloria from Simply Fit Board, and my hubby and I had seen her on Shark Tank the week before! I love success stories, and had to get my photo with her immediately.

I gotta say… if we ever move to Utah, I’ll have a FABULOUS time, playing with fashion. Those Utah girls KNOW how to style it up, and if I could have packed more back home… I wouldah. My new faux vest and gray boots were my favorite purchase of the trip!

Party Styling 101 

The day arrived, and I was more excited than ever. I opened my class up by admitting to them all:

I seriously thought there would be like 2 people in my class, considering I didn’t really know anyone in Utah.

I was ridiculously flattered…

Party tips, party tips, & party tips! I spoke for an hour, but could have talked all day.

If you weren’t able to attend, I’ll fill you in on one little secret I told them.

Adding “garnishes,” to your drinks can add fabulous “umph,” to your party decor.

Dip the ring of a glass, in to white Kayro syrup. Then dip the glass in to glittery sprinkles. The look is not only fabulous…. but it adds a “sweet,” touch! 😉

I created a “mini,” tablescape for the audience, to show examples of how to stagger and add height to a display table…

“Think Outside of the Box,” is a common phrase of mine, and using this table that I scored from Home Goods, gave a great example of how you could utilize what you may already have at home, to create the perfect party tablescape.

I have a new love of party goody supplies: Alexis Maddox Design let me use this cake topper for my class, and now I’m HOOKED! It added the exact “look,” that I was going for.

I bought a few store-bought cupcakes, and added little party flags for an easy cupcake topper idea.

While standing in the checkout at Home Goods, I saw yellow macaroons, and KNEW they’d look darling on my dessert table example. They fit perfectly in the little polka dot cups that I’m obsessed with.

In my class, I gave the attendees a quick and easy way to add some pizzazz to party favors. I hope you’ll attend one of my classes one day, so I can teach you this little trick too! 😉

So I’m back there… behind those people. After my class, person after person came up to chat & ask questions. I was so caught off-guard by the sweetness of everyone. You all are too incredibly sweet, and now I feel like I have a lot of friends in Utah. 🙂

No matter where I am, or when it is… It makes my DAY when someone comes up to me and says,:

Hey! It’s me! I follow you!

My heart skips a beat when someone makes a special trip to say hello. We both share a love for Stitch Fix, So I made her take a photo with me. 🙂

The special lady standing by me, won the little table that I gave away at the end of my class. She was so happy to receive it, and I was sooo happy to have her and the gals with her, to come up and get a photo!

I don’t know how I got so stinking lucky, to have met Toni with Design Dazzle. I had posted in a private FB group before heading out to Utah, that I was coming by myself, and didn’t know anyone. Toni took me under her wing, and made me feel right at home. Much love to her, and PLEASE visit her blog, because she’s not only the sweetest, but you’ll LOVE what she shares. {Especially her home decor ideas. OMG}

If you haven’t attended a Pinners Conference, you MUST! Good news… they’re expanding to Dallas Texas, and Phoenix Arizona in 2016! I can’t WAIT to go, and support Pinners in the new locations. Ticket… booked. 😉

After my class, I browsed around the expo at all of the different booths, and ran in to Lisa Bearnson… like the host on HSN… Lisa Bearnson. Yes, really! Guys… she’s as sweet and welcoming as you imagined!

I’m getting crazy excited for what she and Anthology has planned ahead. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted on what fabulous things she has up her sleeve too!

Literally on cloud 9 at this point… on my way home from Salt Lake City, where the mountains are breathtaking, the pizzas are HUGE, the shopping is PERFECT for a gal like me, and the people are incredibly wonderful.

Thank you SOOO much to everyone who came to my class, to the Pinners team, and to all of you for your support leading up to this point and the future. Without you all… I wouldn’t be living my dream.