Teachers Pay Teachers FIRST EVER Sellers' Conference!

I am still recuperating from all the fun and excitement that was the FIRST EVER TPT Conference! I will admit that I was a little nervous going to Vegas by myself without meeting anyone in person before, but it was seriously no big deal. Everyone was nicer than the person before and we just had a blast. I had so much fun that I forgot to take many pictures, so we will just make do with what I've got!

I arrived at the Palazzo Hotel and Casino on Thursday, and my room was fantastic! I had a king suite on the 37th floor. I literally have never slept so far off the ground before! Just look at this room!

I mean, come on. It was ridiculously awesome. Confession time--I love my husband more than anything, but I had the best two nights of sleep ever. Or, at least in a really long time. Sharing a queen bed with a dog who takes up half of it just doesn't compare to being able to spread out in a king size by yourself! 

The next morning, bright and early at 7 AM, it was time for the conference. About 800 of us entered this humongous ballroom where were able to eat breakfast and meet other sellers. I sat with a great group of women, some even from TX! It was so fun. 

At 8 AM, it was time for the kickoff/keynote speakers. We first heard from Amy, who is just amazing! I got a picture later with her. She is just so down to earth and so super sweet.

Then, we heard from Paul, the founder of TpT. What a journey the site has had! I knew it started a few years before I joined, but I didn't know that it started back in 2006! I signed up as a buyer before signing up as a seller, and boy am I glad I signed up when I did. 

I can't thank this man enough for following his dream after being in the classroom himself, especially when everyone said, "It couldn't be done.." Well, who's laughing now!? What a humble guy. I absolutely LOVE that he wore jeans and a plaid button-down shirt. This is totally the type of guy that he is. Totally true to himself and I think that is just awesome. I was so honored to meet him in person and take a picture with him after the sessions yesterday. 

Now for the sessions themselves. I went to two sessions in the morning and two in the afternoon. 

First up was a TpT A to Z Session presented by Tammy and Christy from Fluttering through First Grade. They covered a lot of good information. A lot of it I knew, but definitely good to refresh my memory and get re-inspired. They had some awesome giveaways, and in true fashion I didn't win! But, I was so excited for everyone else because I am not a sore loser. No matter what you've heard. Nope. Not me.

My next session was the one I was most excited about: making clip art. It was presented by Nikki of Melonheadz! She was so nice and definitely opened my eyes to the fact that ANYONE can draw. Really. She said it. I actually drew an elephant in her session (following her step by step directions, of course!) 

We even got some swag for attending!

Don't worry, I'm not going to become a clip art artist any time soon...I'll stick to what I am good at--buying clip art! 

I ate lunch with a few other sellers who actually had heard of my store so that was exciting.

For the afternoon sessions, I attended a session about making sensational secondary products (4mulafun and Michele Luck) and accelerating your store's success (Lovin' Lit). Both were really good and got me thinking about some things that I should change in my store. I can't wait to have time at home to revise some of my older products!

I left the sessions having met several people that I "knew" already and some that I didn't. It was cool to be able to put faces with logos. This is a small pile of business cards that I left with:

I can't wait to start following these blogs and seeing the wonderful ideas and products these sellers come up with.

After the sessions, TPT hosted a happy hour so we could all relax and really interact with each other.

I had two glasses of wine while chatting with all of these fantastic secondary sellers!

And last, but certainly not least, the sellers presented Paul and all of team TPT with a few gifts. You can see what Paul's looks like. It is a giant canvas and a mosaic of many of our store logos as a collage. Then, the TPT apple logo is placed on top with a sweet message.

I am so glad that I started my TPT journey just over a year ago. I am blessed to not only share my resources with all of you, but to impact the lives of kids all over the world. It gives me chills just thinking about it! 

#TpTVegas14

Five for Saturday?

Is this even allowed? I feel like I'll be the 3,475th person to link up this week but I have a VERY good excuse for being late to the party...I spent all day yesterday at the TPT conference and I knew that I would want to include a little tidbit about that in this week's edition of Five for Friday hosted by the wonderful Doodlebugs Teaching!

Since I am on my iPad still in the hotel, I don't have cute graphics to number each one, but math people know how to count to five in their heads, right? Good. Try to keep up, it was a busy week!

On Monday, my very best friend from fourth grade (no I am not going to tell you how long ago that was, but let's just say we have been friends for way longer than we have not been friends) took the day off from work and we spent the day together. I took her out to where we are building our house and she was able to see the progress, and then we shopped and had lunch nearby. It was a great day and I bought those cute earrings from Charming Charlie (pictured above) and I am waiting to put together the perfect outfit to wear them!

On Wednesday, I flew to Las Vegas to attend the first ever TPT Sellers' Conference! I was excited to get wifi on the plane, because I have been shamefully obsessed with watching the show Weeds on Netflix. After shelling out $8, I realized that Netflix is blocked on their wifi because they want you to pay for movies through their service. Super sneaky, Southwest Airlines! It was still cool to follow the flight and see where we were in the sky.

In addition to being in Vegas for the conference, I have family that lives here so I am extending the trip a bit to be able to visit! This is my cousin's son, and I met his cute self for the first time on Thursday! I can't believe that he is almost crawling already. He is so sweet and loves to smile!

I checked into the Palazzo on Thursday afternoon and had a drink at the bar in one of the restaurants. I know this may seem insignificant, but this was no ordinary drink. 

Oh no.

This changed my life. Maybe I am exaggerating. Then again, maybe not.

All I know is that this blueberry mojito of deliciousness was the best drink I have EVER had. Aside from my favorite wines. If you live near a Grand Lux Cafe, RUN there during happy hour because they are only $5! And, there are real blueberries, so it totally counts as a fruit, right?

The best part of being in Vegas is reuniting with blogging/TPT buddies! Jennifer from 4mulafun and I gambled the night away in the casino. I'm not going to talk about who had the better luck. Nope. Not a competition.

Except she totally won lots of money and I lost. 

There. I said it. And, no I am not jealous, why would you think that? That's a lie, I totally was.

And, now I am out of things for this week. I guess I will have a separate post regarding all things TPT conference tomorrow/Monday!

How was your week?