I first heard about Blissdom in November when I had just started blogging. I didn’t really look into it because it was a.) a conference for bloggers and I felt like such a newbie and b.) I figured it would be too expensive.

Well, now that is closer to the event, I see that Blissdom is basically in my backyard. It is here in Nashville at the Opryland, which means I really wouldn’t have to travel. So now, I am debating with myself if I go. I could swing the Friday Night Cocktail Party for sure and would love to go to the Saturday sessions if possible.

However, I am still on the fence. I am just starting to consider myself a real “blogger” and I can see that there are probably a lot of things I could learn and people to meet. And the fact that it is taking place 20 minutes from my house is another screaming positive. On the other hand, my 7th grade inner child is screaming at me that I haven’t made a big enough splash in this pond to even consider going. (She has also promptly reminded me that I have nothing to wear.)

So I am curious - are you going to Blissdom? Would you go if you could? Have you been before? At what point in your blogging life did you go? What is more important, the networking or the sessions?

There are many things I thought blogging would bring to my life. A creative outlet and a community of like minded friends were things I knew I would gain. One thing I did not expect to happen was that upon entering a hotel/condo (that is tastefully decorated) that the first thing I would do would be to take a significant number of photos and notes about possible décor ideas to share with you guys! 

But that is what happened when we got into our condo at the Santa Maria Suites down in Key West. We were invited down to stay with my father-in-law and his wife as our Christmas present which was really nice. Because otherwise there is no way that we would be able to stay here.

This was the entry into the condo. We had our own lounge area in front.

The main living space was open with a TV area, a couch for reading and a kitchen to die for – seriously, I swooned when we walked in.

Here is the TV area. I love these little swivel chairs! The wicker makes them ever so slightly less modern.

 

Now this couch was cute and I loved the lamps. However, the pictures were off center, which drove me nuts!

Ah, and here is the kitchen! The island is gorgeous!

While not large by any means, it was super comfortable to get around in and provided a great place for everyone to gather.

The backsplash was painted and then covered with sheets of either glass or Plexiglas. I loved the tumbled marble on the floor.

The upper cabinets open up! I thought that was so handy!

Built in wine fridge! And a close up of the beautiful floors.

Now hear is a close up of the island. Both the fridge and the freezer were built into the island. Can you tell where?

Yep, in those lovely stainless steel drawers! Not highly practical for everyday living, but perfect for a vacation place where you spend a lot of your time eating out. (Or I guess if you don’t cook, it would work for you!

This is a shot of the first bedroom. First, I love the color scheme in here. The dark chocolate looks great with the woven bed frame. The little round side tables are cute too.

As a side note, there is a rug on either side of the platform and while you can see where it is slid a little away from the bed in the picture above, when it is straight it looks like it is one continuous large rug that runs on either side of the bed. I thought this was a great way to use two smaller rugs instead of one big one in a bedroom. Even if you have a bedskirt on, you could use two smaller rugs and run them just underneath the shadow of the skirt.

Now this is the large bath in the unit. It had two full baths, but this one had a gorgeous shower.

Look at this shower. Two heads up top and several nozzles on the side. The subway tile is also beautiful with the marble inset.

This is the second bedroom. I think the three pictures across the top of the bed would be pretty easy to duplicate. They were shots from the end of a pier that made a large panoramic shot when placed together.

Here is another shot of the bedroom looking into the bath. Oh, and a note about the bed linens, the blanket across the bottom of the bed is not a blanket. It is really just a runner – like a table runner. Totally decorative, but creates a great look!

This is the second full bath. It has a tub and some of the most beautiful tile work.

Here is a close up of the tile and the marble inset.

Check out this close up of the marble on the side of the tub, the wall and the floor. Ahh – so pretty.

Checkout this sink! Counterpace was at a premium, but I really like the way the faucet came out of the wall.

So what do you think? It was great for a vacay but probably a little too modern for my personal taste. However, the simple clean lines made it very easy to live in for the week and it did give me a lot of ideas to use around the house!

Stay tuned, my final wrap up on the trip are my pics of the Hemingway House!

This post isn’t about cars, as much as the hubby would love to hear me declare that. No, I love all things that have dual purposes. I have no idea where this comes from, but I love something that will work for you in multiple situations. Gadgets, clothing, beauty products – if it has multiple uses it is normally a winner in my book.

This is why I designed this necklace below. Now I know what you are thinking – yes it looks like a normal double strand necklace to the casual observer. (Please excuse my self-portraits!) However, that is because you didn’t notice these – two jump rings (one on either side) that are holding the two strands of the necklace together.

See them here? There is one right next to the small round bead in the center.

With those little jump rings and a simple extender with two lobster clasps shown below, you can create multiple looks out of this necklace.

You have the first double strand necklace. You can also add the extender and make this pretty four-strand necklace.

On the other hand, you can remove the extender and throw back one strand and wear the lower half as a three strand necklace.

So there you go, a thrifty way to get three looks for one! Even if you aren’t into making jewelry this is a really easy way to take some simple strands and make a convertible piece of your own. 

You can pick up jump rings at Michael’s, Hobby Lobby or Jo-Ann’s for practically nothing. To open, you need two pairs of pliers. Place the pliers on either side of the seam on the jump ring to open it up. Don’t pull apart like a clam, pull them aside like you would open a clasp on top of a clutch. If you need a more visual guide, check out this one here at Fire Mountain Gems.

What do you think? Do you also love multi-purpose items?

Since I have been out of the party circuit for awhile I am linking it up this week!

Make it for Monday with Cindy @ Cottage Instincts

The DIY Show & Tell with Roeshel @ The DIY Showoff

It's So Very Creative with Cheri @ It's So Very Cheri

Diy Day with Kimba @ A Soft Place to Land

Get your Craft On with Kim @ Today’s Creative Blog

Boardwalk Bragfest with Jan @ Bobbypins Boardwalk (check out her new Project Blog here!  She has found some great ideas!)

Thrifty Thursday with Leigh @ Tales from Bloggeritaville