June 2014 Archives

June 14, 2014May 28, 2019

June is not the end of the world

Yeah, I get it. Summer in Phoenix is hot. But I think we Phoenicians sometimes give up too early on the great outdoors.

Even in mid-June, the temperatures often still drop at night. And that makes everything so much more bearable. You can still get out early or late in the day to take a walk or sit in the shade. We still get an occasional coolish day. (After it’s been 108, 93 seems quite lovely!)

Just getting away from the city can lower the temp by 10 degrees or so – you don’t have to go far, just away from all that concrete.

There comes a point in the year where it never cools down. It’s how we pay for our gorgeous non-summer days. We get our version of cabin fever, and it gets a bit depressing.

But June can still surprise you.

June 11, 2014

Nutella brownie bites

To celebrate Travelcraft Journal’s 1st year and to thank a very supportive group of smart, crafty people, I brought Nutella brownie bites to Craft Hack on Monday.

They were super simple to make. The truth is, with all the Phoenix Comicon craziness over the weekend, I had almost forgotten I was even going to make something. Thank goodness I had pinned this little gem at some point last year.

The recipe calls for just 3 ingredients (4 if you add sprinkles or hazelnuts on top): eggs, flour, Nutella. What I had on hand was actually non-Nutella-brand hazelnut spread that we had decided to try awhile back. Its thinner consistency wasn’t great on toast but turned out to be fabulous for mixing into brownie batter.

I had about half a cup of spread left in my jar, so I halved the recipe. I poured the batter into a mini muffin pan, added sprinkles, reduced the temperature a little and checked them after 15 minutes. The result was 18 delicious little brownie bites.

Most of which made it to Craft Hack. ;)

June 7, 2014June 8, 2014

What do you take to a con?

I was thinking about how you prepare to be at a convention or conference all day. You want to be ready for the long day ahead, but you don’t want to schlep around more than you need.

While I was waiting for a session to start at Phoenix Comicon, I popped open my bag and took a photo. Here’s what was in there:

Water – If it’s not provided, I bring water. If the con is in Arizona, you should bring water either way.

Snacks (not pictured – they were in the front pocket) – When you (I) get hungry and cranky, no one wins.

Sweater – Surprisingly necessary in oft over air conditioned conference rooms, even when it’s 110 degrees outside.

Charger(s) – I generally bring chargers for any electronic devices I have with me. Jonathan Simon had a great idea (which I included in my Phoenix Comicon guide) about bringing a portable power strip, since there are often more hungry phones around than outlets (especially late in the day.)

Glasses case and sunnies – Escaping to the outside world during the day can be nice.

Small notebook and pen – Sometimes it’s just quicker and easier. And super handy if you want to make notes without draining your phone battery (or if it’s already too late).

Purse – I was in a rush, so I just threw the whole thing in – wallet, makeup, tissues, business cards, and whatever other randomness I had in there. But, usually, I’ll pare it down quite a bit.

Flyers – Those just tend to accumulate throughout the day, don’t they?

What’s in your bag when you’re at a convention or conference?

June 1, 2014June 3, 2014

Year One

Today Travelcraft Journal turns one! I pubished the first post one year ago today. I was excited about finding and sharing ways to be creative and explore the world around us – even in the midst of real life busyness and constraints. I didn’t know where this little blog project would go, but I felt optimistic. A year later, I am thrilled and grateful at where the journey has already taken me and still excited about what’s next.

Over the past year, I gave you some tips on packing, booking flights, and airfare refunds. I shared some of my adventures with you, like Colorado road tripping, introducing our Chinese friends to camping, a whirlwind(y) tour of Chicago, sneaking into Arcosanti – despite tales of angry naked hippies – and living to return for breakfast another day.

Closer to home, we explored the Phoenix area – taking side streets, checking out a travel expo, hiking South Mountain and looking for the last spring wildflowers, reluctantly enjoying brunch, seeing festive lights and maybe wolves at Glendale Glitters, getting lost in a museum full of Arts & Flowers, and, of course, the time we started out on a new hike and I ended the evening exiting the restroom to roaring applause. (Just one of many proud moments this year.)

I also shared some things I made – a paper bag journal, upcycled gift tags, flowers pressed while traveling, super sangria, a desk fort, Peruvian bean chili, and mini envelopes. I presented on DIY gift bags at Craft Hack and travel journals at Southwest Maker Fest. But I always encouraged you to stop the DIY guilt. Make what makes you happy and don’t let anyone tell you to do more or less than that.

Only a few weeks after starting the site, I decided to go to Chicago for the BlogHer Annual Conference. I learned a ton about blogging and book publishing and met so many amazing people, including randomly bumping into one of the founders – twice. In between those two meetings, I had the idea that a session on blog design might be helpful to a lot of people, so I suggested it to her. That topic idea morphed into a mobile design talk at BlogHer Pro that fall. I’ll be speaking again when I return to the annual conference this July.

In the meantime, I talked to a friend about my idea for writing travel books and realized I needed to hone my voice and idea before pursuing it. But it’s still something I plan to do.

After seeing a panel at BlogHer that included the founder of Brit + Co., I started following the creative living site on Twitter. When they tweeted that they were looking for freelance contributors, I submitted an application and began this process that ended up stretching out about two months. Finally, I was accepted as part of the contributor team, and I continue to write for them on food, tech, and DIY topics.

Recently, I launched a newsletter with Travelcraft Journal highlights and free goodies. We were granted our first media pass for Phoenix Comicon. (I know I acted in my last post like it wasn’t a big deal. But I’m actually really proud of it.)

And now here were are, celebrating Year One! Wanna join the party? Enjoy a favorite treat in a favorite place and post a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #tcjturns1. (Or post it elsewhere and link to it in the comments.) If you message me your address, I’ll send you a nifty Travelcraft Journal sticker. Consider it a party favor and a thank you for being part of this community, because, really, you guys rock!