Category Archives: Reports

Lake Life in Minneapolis

After a night pontoon cruisin’ on Lake Minnetonka, a day strolling around uptown and a cheese curd fest at Psycho Suzi’s, we were well and truly ready to teach a class full of babes.

The workshop was held at Public Functionary, a brand new art gallery space. We were lucky that they’d just wrapped one of their first art exhibits before we arrived, which meant the walls were still decorated with black and gold paintwork and deep burgundy velvet.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this class possible…

A Blogcademy wouldn’t be a Blogcademy without the Crown & Glory ears!

The Young Aesthetic made us these gorgeous crystal necklaces.

The Cicely Margo ring pop rings were a big hit!

Karyn of Classic Hardware attended our LA class so we were thrilled when she approached us to sponsor Minneapolis with her silver jewellery.

We love love loved the Tumi sunglasses.

Casetagram sent us vouchers for our students to make their own custom phone cases from their Instagram photos. Here’s one Kat made earlier!

And of course everything came beautiful presented with a custom city tote alongside a workbook and sponsor postcard.

Much love to Gene Oh who came to snap these shots of the class. Minneapolis, we love you!

Our next class (and last US date of 2013!) is taking place in Austin in August and we’d love to see you there!

New York June 2013 Recap & Sponsor Love

The New York workshop was more wonderful than we could have ever hoped! Thanks to all the amazing babes that came along but also to the team that made it happen. We love you eternally!

Firstly, thanks to the amazing guys at Rent Patina for hosting us all weekend. The space was pretty much perfect and their amazing vintage furniture made for super stylish and comfortable seating (they hire it all out for weddings and events so be sure to check them out!)

Sparklebeast designed this gorgeous gem necklace just for us. They went down an utter storm.

Crown & Glory have become quite the Blogcademy staple. Designer Sophie provided us with glitter ears a-plenty.

Alphabet Bags sent over these adorable pink glitter heart pouches. We can’t get enough!

Cicely Margo made us these giant ring pop rings – so fun!

Milk & Honey Naturals created these solid perfumes. They smelt good enough to eat!

Tumi Eyewear generously provided a pair of designer sunglasses for everybody.

Paige Lavoie made us some fun turquoise glitter crowns.

And Zevia kept us hydrated in the 35°C heat with their yummy zero calorie soda.

As usual everything came packaged in their custom city tote alongside their branded workbook…

To Nikki and Hillary our stellar assistants, you are the best. Thank you for everything, we have you on speed dial for the next time we visit NYC.

Last but by no means least thank you to the incredible June Cochran who flew in all the way from Hawaii to photograph the event. We are so externally grateful and completely in love with these images.

Yey for the New York class of June 2013. We love you endlessly. Thanks for being so damn bad ass!

If you’d like to read more about the New York class you can do so on Kat, Shauna and Gala‘s own blogs.

Want to come along to a future class? Book your spot here!

Photography: June Cochran

Love & Adoration for our Los Angeles Sponsors!

Los Angeles was everything we could have hoped for and more! The latest crop of Blogcadettes were total babes and after every class, the three of us always go away feeling like we’ve just made thirty new BFFs.

As always, big love to our awesome sponsors who made the LA Blogcademy as sparkly as possible!

These Basik 855 coin purses are perfect for a blogger on the go…and have just the right amount of space to stash those business cards!

These MARGRAVINE x Sewmaryann bows are perfect for wearing on your lapel or slipping in your bouffant!

We love these glitter shoe clips from Head Full of Feathers!

The Moorea Seal pieces were all gorgeous.

Everyone was also treated to a beautiful Mr Yen LOVE laser-cut card.

Oh, Crown & Glory. Where would we be without your fabulous sparkly ears?

The IF Ladies purses & nail wraps were so fun!

Saturday Sequins handmade everyone a pair of these gorgeous blue and silver sequin earrings!

Classic Hardware sent a bunch of awesome jewellery treats.

We are so in love with these custom coffee cozies handmade by Twinkie Chan!

And finally, Zevia kept us hydrated with oddles of their delicious zero calorie soda.

We had an extra special treat in store for this class since it was Kat’s birthday on Sunday. We rented a photo booth from LA photo booth rental company Snapden and we had an utter blast getting all silly and snap happy!

Los Angeles, you treated us so well! We hope we’ll get to visit you again sometime soon!

The next round of workshops are taking place in June and we’re off to New York and Minneapolis! We are currently accepting sponsors for both dates so if you’d like to get your product or service in front of 30 enthusiastic bloggers as well as featured on our blogs (with a combined reach of over one million readers!) then please get in touch.

And if you’d like to join us at one of the workshops, we still have spaces remaining for both dates. Booking your spot couldn’t be simpler, but feel free to drop us an email if you have any questions before you register.

We can’t wait to hit the road again really soon. Roll on, June!

All Photography: Milou & Olin Photography

We Have So Much Love For Our Portland Sponsors!

Class four: Portland!

Oh, Portland, City of Roses: you have our hearts.  What a beautiful city, what an incredible group of women, and what a bloody good time we had!

The Blogcademy: Portland was everything we could have hoped for… And then some! Of course, none of this would even be possible without our amazing sponsors. Thank you to each and every one of these babes for helping to make this event happen!

Ears from Crown & Glory – no Blogcadette worth their salt is ever without a pair of ears place firmly on his or her head!

IF Ladies sent us a huge box of quirky purses, cards, tee-shirts, umbrellas and nail wraps!

MARGRAVINE x Sewmaryann made some custom hair bows which doubled as brooches in Blogcademy blue and silver glitter. They would also like to offer anyone reading this 15% off any order from their online shop until the end of May! Simply use discount code BLOG15 to qualify.

Moorea Seal supplied all this amazing jewellery.

The glittery Head Full of Feathers shoe clips added some much needed sparkle to our toes.

The Pink Samurai painstakingly knitted 30 beautiful teal and grey scarves.

Lex Cosmetics via Cloud Parade supplied everyone with fantastic grey glittery nail varnish.

The greeting cards were from the super talented Mr Yen.

Everyone also got an awesome Basik 855 coin purse.

Paige Lavoie sent these fun Blogcademy branded mini hats which we all rocked in the photo booth. Finally, the amazing Paul Jarvis supplied a free digital download of his book, How to Be Awesome Online, for everyone (obviously not pictured).

Phew. Never can it be said that we don’t spoil those Blogcadettes of ours. Alongside their custom city tote bags, workbook magazine and other branded treats, those goodie bags were packed.

We also had some amazing décor sponsors this time as well. We fell held over heels for these teal and pink tassels and rainbow confetti from The Paper Jar via Cloud Parade… and we seriously battled over who got to take them home afterwards!

The whole shebang was photographed and videoed (!) by the utterly incredible, inspiring and amazing Made U Look Photography. We are so immensely grateful that they packed up their car and drove the 14 hour route from where they live in Bakersfield to Portland to be with us for the workshop. Christina, Marielle & Alie… We love you girls!

The next round of workshops are taking place in June and we’re off to New York and Minneapolis! We are currently accepting sponsors for both dates so if you’d like to get your product or service in front of 30 enthusiastic bloggers as well as featured on our blogs (with a combined reach of over one million readers  – yowzer!) then, don’t be shy, get in touch.

And if you’d like to join us at one of the workshops we still have spaces remaining for both dates. Booking your spot couldn’t be simpler, but feel free to drop us an email if you have any questions before you book.

We can’t wait to hit the road again really soon. Roll on June!

All Photography: Made U Look Photography

The Portland Video!

Oh my goodness, there are just not enough words to express how much we adore the video from the Portland workshop. Epic love and thanks to the utterly amazing, inspiring and all round babealious Christina, Marielle & Alie for creating this masterpiece. SO MUCH LOVE…

Photos to follow really soon!

Our next stops are New York and Minneapolis in June and we’d love to see you there. Reserving your spot couldn’t be simpler, but feel free to drop us an email if you have any questions before you book.

Dancing, kissing and all round big cheesy grins,
Kat, Gala & Shauna

Photo & Video: Made U Look Photography

London Recap & Sponsor Love

With 60 eager bloggers waiting, the three of us were a heady mix of nerves and excitement before the two sold out London workshops. But we need not have worried. Our ‘blogcadets’ (as they’re now calling themselves – cute!) are definitely the coolest, spunkiest and most passionate guys and girls around. Not scary at all! In fact what a talented bunch of babes they are.

So instead of us banging on about it over and over, we thought we’d share exactly what some of them had to say about the whole thing…

“Well I have to say that it was officially the greatest weekend I’ve ever experienced! I have never in all my days, felt so inspired or excited in my life. My head is jam packed with ideas, my notebook is full and my head is now covered in sparkly bows and bunny-ears”. Emma Rose Black

“Something inside has clicked. I’ve done B-School, I’ve read numerous books & listened to countless voices, but the bringing together of like minded souls is something really special. So for now I just wanted to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you for all the time, energy & love you put into The Blogcademy. It truly feels like a gift that will keep on giving and one that will enable me to grow and pass on the gifts I have for the benefit of others.” Jayne Rusby

“When I initially booked in for my Blogcadet training, I was concerned about the cost – but I left utterly satisfied, and genuinely convinced that the time, effort and sheer volume of actual applicable, real-world advice that you packed into our little London jaunt was worth its weight in gold. The result: I feel so well-equipped with the guidance I need to take my blog to lofty, Eiffel Tower-ish heights, and invigorated and energized to get my butt into gear and do it!” Caroline Gallatly

“Just being in the same room as Gala, Kat and Shauna makes you feel like you can do anything.” Emily Fisher

“I don’t think I learnt as much in a year at Uni as I did from The Blogcademy girls in two days. That’s where I think The Blogcademy really shines, we were given real life scenarios and case studies and things were explained in perfect detail. It is blatantly obvious that the three lovely teachers know what they are talking about because they have lived and breathed it for years.” Stephanie Hind

“Words like fabulous, inspirational, glittery, engaging and epic are all accurate descriptions of The Blogcademy but they do not come close to describing the life changing experience that came in the turquoise packaging.” Georgina Webb

“Being a bit of a natural cynic, I was a little worried about spending a not-insubstantial chunk of money on a two day course. I need not have feared. This was, and I’m not exaggerating, the best money I have ever spent – an investment in my blog, yes, but much more importantly, in myself.” Lucy Loves

 

“I didn’t realise just how much I learned until I found myself slipping advice learned from The Blogcademy into everyday conversations that didn’t have anything to do with blogging. I’m totally going to be ‘that girl’ who keeps talking about ‘this one time at The Blogcademy’…” Xandra Burns

“I would love to tell all the bloggers out there who are writing in any other language than English that The Blogcademy´s awesomeness totally translates and that there is so much to learn, regardless of one’s language.” Julia Safronova

“Don’t be fooled by the pink sparkles and bunny ears, there’s nothing frivolous about The Blogcademy. Real business advice from three successful professional women who are doing it their way… in fabulous shoes.” Scarlett Nymph

If you couldn’t already tell, our Blogcademy graduates are an energetic, enthusiastic bunch and have a lot to share about their workshop experiences! We’ve been keeping touch with them through our private Facebook forum and gathered up their blog posts below:

1. You Can Wear Fluffy Cat Ears When You Grow Up 2. Glitter Bows and Bunny Ears Galore! 3.Blogcademy Chit Chat 4. One Of The things That Impressed Me The Most… 5. When Is The Reunion Party!? 6. Four Big Reasons I Loved The Blogcademy 7. Where Dreams Become A Reality 8. Surround Yourself With The Right Influences 9. Inspired to Action 10. Confessions of a Blogcadet 11. Words of sparkle 12. Things I Learnt at The Blogcademy 13. Be Inspired 14. Take The Initiative 15. Dreaming Big 16.The Best Dream I Ever Had 17. Blogcademy: Who Needs University? 18. How To Get The Most Out of Blogcademy. 19. The Blogcademy 20. We Were Taught… 21. The A-Z Of The Blogcademy. 22. What she did 

Some of the girls even went for ‘extra credit’ and made these awesome videos! Awwww

1. Confessions of a Blogcadet 2. One Big Huge Thank You and 3. Emma Talks The Blogcademy.

London 1 (Class Two):

London 2 (Class Three):

Photography: Emily Quinton

Sponsor Love

Of course we couldn’t have pulled it off without our incredible sponsors! Unless love to you all…

Branded tote bag from Awesome Merchandise 

Rings were courtesy of Finest Imaginary, Thimble & Fred and Pugly Pixel, Moleskine notebooks were from Finest Imaginary, phone cases were by Awesome Merchandise sparkly hair bows were courtesy of Crown & Glory, the glitter collars were handmade by Alexandra King, the eye shadows were courtesy of Sugarpill, the shoe clips were by Head Full of Feathers and the CD of Photoshop actions was courtesy of Lisa Devlin.

We even had delicious cakes from Charlotte of Restoration Cake who braved the snowstorm (and still arrived immaculately dressed!) to deliver them, each individually wrapped for the students. She also brought a unicorn cake as an extra surprise!

We would like to thank the following folks for making our event extra memorable:

Photography (except where stated): Shell de Mar Photography
Video: FX Media
Venue: Curtain Road Studios
Decor Items: The Tea Set and Peach Blossom
Cakes: Restoration Cake
Flowers: Hayford & Rhodes
Guest Speaker #1: Lisa Devlin
Guest Speaker #2: Emily Quinton

Tickets for the Portland (March 30th & 31st) & Los Angeles (April 6th & 7th) Blogcademys are on sale now. We’d love to see you there!

Lots of love from your tired but happy headmistresses,
Kat, Gala & Shauna

Snowdrifts, Sequins & Sparkly Ears A-Plenty at The Blogcademy, London

London, you really turned it out. We had the best time ever getting frisky with 60 fabulous graduates, or as they like to call themselves, “blogcadettes” (So cute!)

We were so lucky to have our exceptionally talented friend Richard Wakefield of FX Media came along to our weekend class to capture the magic on film…

Don’t forget we’re off to Portland & LA next. If you’d like to sign up for either of these events you can also do so right here!

Lots of love and snow-covered kisses from your chilly but oh-so-happy headmistresses,
Kat, Gala & Shauna

A 30 Second Teaser!

 

We had SUCH a bloody good time at our first class in New York City that it only made sense to make a little film about it! Here’s a 30 second tease that we hope brings a little smile to your Sunday!

Remember, we’re announcing our next class on Wednesday… So y’all come back now, y’hear?!

With much love from your headmistresses,
Kat, Gala and Shauna.

New York Sponsors Love & Adoration

The Blogcademy couldn’t have been what it was without our amazing sponsors.  Heeeeuge shout outs of love and admiration for these amazing guys & gals for making us look so good!

Endless love to the amazing Alphabet Bags for the beautiful tote bags, Crown & Glory for the sparkly hair bows (you can never have enough sparkle IMHO!), Devlin Photos for the CD of Photoshop actions, Finest Imaginary for the custom Moleskine notebooks & heart rings, Garden Apothecary for the vanilla body scrubs, Miss Anastasia for the perfume, Molly Crabapple for the books, Sugarpill for the eye-shadows and Twinkie Chan for the Blogcademy coffee cozies!

Everly Lane provided the cute the turquoise tassels and Peach Blossom sent us a plethora of balloons, striped straws, fans and pom poms which made the room look amazing! And finally, the amazing letterpress (ohh la la) graduation certificates were printed for us by A Fine Press. Gorgeous.

We love you!

The Blogcademy NYC: A Quick And Dirty Recap!

‘Bag of Tricks’ bags from our fabulous sponsor Alphabet Bags!

Last weekend was a whirlwind of loving, learning and epic inspiration. I think I can safely speak for all three of us when I say we feel like we’ve been through a WAR! We’re mentally exhausted but oh so exhilarated, and even before we each jetted back to our respective corners of the globe, the emails were flying back and forth with excitable plans for the next one! (Watch this space!)

You can read a little more on our respective blogs — Rock n Roll Bride, Gala Darling & Nubby Twiglet — and of course we’ll have full recaps hitting the interwebs like a steam-train soon enough, but I just wanted to stop by to shout a HUMONGOUS thank you to everyone that made it happen.

To Gala & Nubby, my partners in crime and fellow headmistresses: you rock my world, I can’t believe how far we’ve come already and we’ve only done one event! Here’s to zipping around the globe together and teaching in sparkly EARS!

To Lisa Devlin who photographed the weekend & taught our attendees some invaluable photography tips: I love you girl, and we couldn’t have done it without your invaluable knowledge, advice and guidance. Never-ending gratitude!

To Ben Vogel who filmed the event: thank you for being our technical support (!) and for taking our teases like a man!

To Megan and Nikki, our amazing volunteers: Thank you so much for all your help. You made sure everything ran like clockwork and kept us fed and hydrated at all times! We really lucked out finding you girls. Thank you for being the best damn volunteers we could have hoped for.

To our sponsors to made the goodie bags the “best goodie bags ever!” (yes, that was a direct quote!): we love you! Our attendees loved you! You made us look damn good!

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, to the 30 girls who came along, rocked our world and left us with all the warm and fuzzies: thank you for trusting us enough to come to our first event and for generally being so BADASS. Thank you, thank you, thank you. WE LOVE YOU!

The wheels are in motion for the next Blogcademy workshop so keep those peepers peeled to our social media for updates! Ooh I wonder where we’ll be heading next!?!?