Six Years of LA Dolce Vita + a Big Giveaway!

July is a special month for me. July 1st is our wedding anniversary. We just celebrated eight years of marriage and today officially marks six years since I started La Dolce Vita back in 2007! It’s amazing to think about all of the things that have happened in that time and I can honestly say that I could not imagine my life without my blog. It has become a huge part of my daily routine and is ingrained in who I am now. I am especially thankful to my readers and sponsors for allowing me to make it this long. Your readership and support has motivated and inspired me beyond measure.

This blog has been the source of so many incredible things in my life—friendships with people I respect and admire, opportunities I could have only dreamed of before, and its opened the doors that have allowed me to change the entire course of my career. If it weren’t for La Dolce Vita, I would probably still be a teacher, longing to do something more creative and more true to who I am. Instead, this blog has given me the courage and skills to chase after my dreams. Whether you visit La Dolce Vita everyday, or just check in every once in a while, thank you for being such a huge and important part of my life. Here’s to another amazing six years!

In honor of LDV turning six, I have partnered with Lori Dennis and Kelli Ellis, the fabulous founders of Design Camp to give a ticket to the upcoming Design Camp in Orange County to one very lucky reader! I was able to attend Design Camp in Atlanta (read all about my experience here) in January and it served as the catalyst for me to decide to take the plunge and start my design firm. Design Camp is a powerful two-day seminar seminar hosted and instructed by celebrity interior designers Lori Dennis and Kelli Ellis, with special guest segments led by local and national industry experts in niche fields. Design Camp Orange County will take place October 11-13 and features some impressive speakers – Million Dollar Decorators’ Kathryn Ireland and Nathan Turner, Digital Sherpa’s Adam Japko, renowned builder John Finton of Finton Construction, Pamela Jaccarino founding Editor-in-Chief of LUXE Interiors + Design along with yours truly! I will be speaking about social media, branding, and blogging.

{Design Camp Founders, Kelli Ellis and Lori Dennis}

They cover everything at Design Camp-- from design trends, blogging, photography, and social media to tips for getting published and billing and contracts, all with incredible insight and unbelievable candor. Nothing is off limits! Having been a designer camper before,  I felt that it was so refreshing to go to a conference and have successful professionals share the strategies that lead them to where they are today without holding anything back and to have so many real, tangible take-aways that I could immediately put into practice.

{In Atlanta with fellow Design Campers, Mimi and Lauren}

Individual tickets to Design Camp run $1,297.00 ($2,094 if you and a friend join in), but through the end of July 2013, early birds can take $500 off their registration fee, making the cost of an individual ticket just $797.00! When you register, enter “EARLYBIRD” in all caps/one word in the coupon code box.

If you want to get your design business on track this year, are looking for inspiration, want to network with other designers, or you want to delve into the business of interior design, I highly recommend Design Camp! Enter for a chance to win a free ticket to camp below. Good luck!

P.S. If you aren’t able to attend Design Camp or have already attended in the past, be sure to check out the newly launched Design Campus which gives you access all of the tools from camp along with unprecedented access to valuable information to make your design practice as successful as possible.

1. To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this blog post telling me why you would like to attend Design Camp. Giveaway winner will receive one ticket to Design Camp valued at $1,397. Airfare and hotel stay are not included.
2. Leave ONE comment on this post between today, Friday, July 12, 2013 and Friday, July 19, 2013. A winner will be announced on Monday, July 22, 2013.
For Extra Entries:
3. Follow Design Camp on Twitter @thedesigncamp and tweet about the giveaway with a link to this blog post for another entry (follow @ladolcevitablog on Twitter in order to show me your tweet). It is up to you to return to this post to enter your additional entry after tweeting about the giveaway.
4. Like Design Camp on Facebook. It is up to you to return to this post to enter your additional entry after becoming a fan of the Design Camp page on Facebook.
Anonymous entries will be ignored, so please include your e-mail in your comment. Your e-mail address will never be used for anything other than to notify you if you are the winner.