1 week ago, we were both in “Hotlanta” (frizzy hair and all!) at the annual Haven Conference. We always love an excuse for a girl’s trip out of town, and this long weekend away did not disappoint!

Haven is a blogging conference specific for the home and DIY niche, and this was our third time going.

Our First Haven in 2013…

We first attended 3 years ago when we were legit BABY bloggers and The DIY Playbook was only 6 months old. At that time, it was incredibly overwhelming, yet so exciting, to learn about the mysterious world of blogging, and see some of our idols within the industry. Here’s some photo evidence of us being all cheesed out and excited…

Those grins. Oh boy! You can read more about our first Haven trip in this post, but seriously…do not judge those pics. Luckily our photography skills have greatly improved!

The Haven Conference 2016

We certainly know a heck of a lot more about blogging now than we did way back when, but we still learn so much from attending this conference. And many of those blog idols, have become great friends of ours over the years. Seriously…this little blogging community is the best!

While we didn’t have a ton of time to see all of the sights in Atlanta, we were able to go out on the town last Friday night. Our good friend Michelle (from the blog Iron & Twine) lives in Atlanta, and she took us out for a night of dinner and drinks in Midtown.

We ate at JCT Kitchen and dined on avocado toast (#basic), truffled fries, oysters, and roasted veggies. It was divine, and just what we needed after a long day of classes.

The area near the restaurant was seriously adorable. Industrial, yet still quaint and charming. Definitely a must-see if you visit the city.

We spent a majority of our days in classes & workshops learning about the latest techniques within the blogging world. The classes ranged from Photo Editing tips, to the Legal side of blogging (so much to learn!) to tips on how to improve your website’s SEO. You should have seen us frantically taking notes throughout most of these classes! Better yet, you should see our to-do list. It’s about a mile long…

When not in class, we spent time checking out the sponsor booths and chatting with vendors. Casey got to see Amy Howard (from the Amy Howard at Home paint line), who she worked with on her DIY show, Weekend Workbench. That was a fun reunion!

And Bridget dined on her fair share of donuts from this adorable setup! I mean, can you even? #bloggerdreamscometrue

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend in Atlanta! We had so much fun traveling together, loved catching up with our blogging buddies, and left with plenty of new blogging tips & tricks to implement right here on the Playbook. Just goes to show, there is ALWAYS more to learn!

3 years ago, we would have never dreamed that The DIY Playbook would turn into what it has today. We were just 2 young gals excited to learn more about how the heck to even run a blog. Now we can’t imagine our lives without out this little slice of the internet, and without all of you!

Bridget&Casey