Alt Summit 2012: The Handmade and Crafty Recap

I’m baack! I got back from Alt Summit yesterday morning and what a whirlwind trip it was! I met some great and talented people and learned a lot, can’t wait to implement a few new things right here! In the meantime I wanted to give you a peek in to the crafty, handmade details that were woven throughout the event. Of course, that was what I was constantly on the look out for! If you want to see images from the entire event, you can check out Alt’s Flickr gallery here. Otherwise, here’s a little dose of handmade gift, and party craft ideas to get you inspired just like I was!

The welcome box was jam packed with fun little gifts. I loved what Alt did, recruiting several independent and handmade designers to create a few items each so everyone got a little something different in their box! It was a paper lover’s dream, packed with notebooks and cards, like these letterpress ones from Satsuma Press. I’m also a little too obsessed with this little journal from Cracked Designs for documenting travel routes! Alert: This would make a perfect Valentine’s Gift for the special someone you recently road tripped with!

Lunch on Thursday saw another similar concept, this time sponsored by Cargoh. I was beyond thrilled with the contents of my box, all from letterhappy. I had actually come across this very necklace a week or so before I left for Alt and fell in love!

The Friday Night mini parties were another opportunity for everyone’s craftiness to shine! I was super happy to see balloons… everywhere! I am on quite the balloon kick lately (see here) and I loved both of the ideas below for using them!

Of course, a favorite party of mine had to be the “Handmade by You” concept from UPPERCASE. The table’s centerpieces were full of beads so you could make your own necklaces (I made a few for my nieces!) and you could DIY your own sundaes too. Unbeknownst to me, they asked their blog readers to write the phrase “Handmade by You” and then compiled all of the scanned copies they received to create the table linens. This is a great idea for bridal showers or anniversary parties!

Victory of A Subtle Revelry and Blurb hosted another favorite of mine. I’m a sucker for exposed lightbulbs and loved the menagerie of them hanging around the room. Each blogger was invited to leave a little peice of the on the faux-brick wall, so I happily participated!

The final day, my favorite day, was Design Camp day. I started the day paper crafting with Patricia of A Little Hut. We cut out the designs to make this once we returned home, but I was also pretty obsessed with her flower mobile! She sells the printable patterns for these pretty designs on her site here. I’d love to see a snowflake version done for a winter party, or a heart version for a Valentine’s one. Hmm, you may just see that tutorial popping up on here in the next few weeks!

The afternoon was all about upholstery! Caroline of jcaroline creative!, who also taught an amazingly information accounting roundtable, upholstered this entire chair during our two hour class period. Not too shabby, and I was so happy to learn these techniques! My mind is turning with a few too many project possibilities…

The final camp I attended was food and tabletop photography with the Brinsons! Now, I’m lucky enough to have a photographer of my very own who takes most of my pictures so the techniques in this class were all very new to me. But with the new year, it’s a resolution of mine to learn to take awesome pictures of my projects and this was a great first step. These may not be the best examples, but I’m posting them here to force myself to learn to improve!

All Photos by Studio DIY

Phew, you still with me? I was overwhelmed with creativity and ideas throughout the conference and this is just a little peek into my favorite parts. I’m excited to get all the more crafty here on Studio DIY in 2012, and I plan on taking all of you along with me for the DIY ride!

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