Oliver's Travels

March 30, 2017 By Amber Oliver 2 Comments

Oliver’s Travels: Bangkok, Thailand

The final leg of our month in Asia was 3 days in Bangkok, Thailand. This part of the trip turned out not to be my favorite, but I am glad we went! We saw some really amazing things while we were there and did some one of a kind shopping. We gave ourselves a lot more downtime in Bangkok so it was a relaxing way to end the trip. Bangkok is huge, crowded, and super hot. We think I actually had heat exhaustion one day. That being said, my best advice is to take it easy and don’t try to do too much! Below are some of the highlights from our 3 full days in Bangkok.

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March 30, 2017 By Amber Oliver Leave a Comment

Oliver’s Travels: Phuket, Thailand

The final destinations on our December/January Asia trip were in THAILAND! We weren’t able to see and do everything we wanted, but we did have time in both Phuket and Bangkok! We flew from Hong Kong to Phuket on Sunday and stayed through Wednesday before flying to Bangkok. In hindsight, we should have stayed an extra day or two in Phuket because we enjoyed it more than our time in Bangkok, but it is nice to say we’ve been to both places!

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March 7, 2017 By Amber Oliver 1 Comment

Oliver’s Travels: Hong Kong (Including Disneyland Hong Kong!) + VIDEO

After spending a few weeks in Macau, China were were ready to head to Thailand! But not before a weekend trip into Hong Kong and a day at Disneyland Hong Kong! Macau and Hong Kong are the two places in China you can visit without a visa. Both places are “Special Administrative Regions” so they have their own money, language, government, etc. So kinda like visiting two different countries – but not really! We took the ferry over late Friday night and grabbed a taxi from the Ferry terminal to our hotel. We stayed at Bishop Lei International House which was in a great location and overlooked Hong Kong Harbor. We got in after midnight and went to sleep in our TINY room as soon as we got there.…

January 9, 2017 By Amber Oliver Leave a Comment

Oliver’s Travels: Macau, China (Video!)

We’ve had an interesting Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations – we’ve been in Macau, China for the past few weeks! Eric left for a 3 week work assignment on December 17th, and I came over on December 22nd. We’ve had plenty of time to explore while here, so I wanted to share a summary of what we’ve done:
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September 6, 2016 By Amber Oliver 2 Comments

DIY Luggage Tag – free cut file!

I’ve had the same luggage for years. My mom gave me a full set a few years ago and those bags have been around the world with me. Before my last trip (earlier this month I traveled to Atlanta for Haven!) I realized my luggage tag hadn’t been updated in some time. Not only did it have my maiden name, it had an old Oklahoma address on it! Luckily, I’ve never needed the tag. I realized that was a lot of personal information about me. What if someone stole my bag with my address and found my keys in my suitcase? Instead, I decided to make my own DIY luggage tag, and add my online handle (@a_m_b_o). Nowadays, most every knows what an @name means. If you check out my Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest they all have a link to my blog and email address. Honestly, this is the best way to contact me and I prefer not putting my address on the tag anymore!

This post contains affiliate links. If you shop from my blog, I may be compensated for clicks or purchases that you make. Thank you for your support – it means I can keep crafting! Please refer to my disclaimer page for more information.

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May 19, 2016 By Amber Oliver 2 Comments

Oliver’s Travels: Cancun

We kicked off May with last minute trip to Mexico! We had been so stressed for so long and we wanted to celebrate that Eric got a new job! Throwing the trip together last minute, you’d expect it to cost a lot. I’m going to share how we did a 4 day trip to Cancun, Mexico (on a major airline!) for around $1,000 TOTAL!
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May 10, 2016 By Amber Oliver Leave a Comment

Oliver’s Travels: The Bloom Workshop + Seattle

This post has been a long time coming! Back in October, I had to opportunity to travel to Seattle to attend The Bloom Workshop. It was even better because I got to travel with my great friend Meggie from Organized Life Design! We had an amazing 2 days at the Workshop and stayed an extra day and explored a new city! I learned so much in such a short amount of time at the workshop and they were 2 jammed packed days full of fun. The workshop was designed for creative women who are eager to learn about blogging, social media, photography, interior design, event design, calligraphy, floral design, and more. It was such a fulfulling time to be surround be a community of such passionate people. I loved the opportunity to explore and create while we learned. My 2 favorite sessions were calligraphy and floral arranging – both were firsts for me and I loved the chance to try something new.

This weekend was also the perfect opportunity to practice my photography! In fact, since attending the workshop, I can say my photography skills have greatly improved. On day 2 of Bloom, we had the opportunity to take part in a styled shoot that was featured on Ruffled Blog! (My photos from the shoot as well as from the rest of the weekend are below, but be sure to check out the amazing photos from the styled shoot by Ashley Slater on Ruffled Blog and The Bloom Workshop’s Blog.)

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April 27, 2016 By Amber Oliver 1 Comment

Oliver’s Travels: Ski Trip in Utah

At the beginning of February, we took a ski trip to Park City, Utah. My last (and first) attempt at winter sports was nearly 10 years ago, so I was really excited to see if snowboarding was like riding a bike. Before leaving, my biggest fear wasn’t falling – it was the COLD! I’ve been in Houston long enough to forget what an actual winter feels like, so when it was time to start packing I wanted to make sure I had EVERYTHING I needed to stay warm and dry. This was no easy task; it took several trips to different stores, a few online orders, and borrowing from a generous friend to get everything I needed. I had to consult several experienced skiers to make a list of everything necessary for a successful ski trip.

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March 30, 2016 By Amber Oliver 17 Comments

Get Road Trip Ready with Wrigley Extra

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine. #GIVEEXTRAGETEXTRA #Kroger #CollectiveBias.

Since moving to Texas, we’ve taken many road trips. We’ve done quick trips to Port Aransas and longer trips to New Orleans. Several times a year we head back to Oklahoma to visit family for special events and holidays. For many families, spring/summer time = road trips. I’m sharing my road trip essentials so you can make your next road trip a success!

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October 2, 2015 By Amber Oliver 1 Comment

5 Reasons To Attend A Blog Conference

Through this little blog of mine I’ve had the chance to meet some really amazing women here in Houston and from plenty of places far off as well. The community I’ve found is full of motivating and uplifting women with a spirit of community over competition and I’m so thankful for that. To me, it’s what makes blogging FUN!

Blog-Elevated - Photo Booth at the evening party sponsored by Kroger Evening events at Blog Elevated I just attended Blog Elevated in Dallas, Texas. This was my 2nd conference this year (2 of 3 actually; I’m going to The Bloom Workshop later this month!) and now that I can speak from experience. I thought I’d share tips for making the most out of whatever conference you attend and why a blog conference is a great idea – even if you are a new blogger.

Come prepared: I actually carry my blog business cards with me all the time. I’ve handed them out at happy hours and in line at stores after striking up a conversation with someone. At a blog conference these are a must. Before the event, make sure your business cards are updated and you have plenty to hand out. When you get there, hand them out like candy! “You get a card, and YOU get a card!” (Oprah, anyone?) The thing I learned at this conference was to also bring copies of your media kit! Check before hand and see what companies might be present that you’d want to partner with and give them a copy of your media kit after you introduce yourself (with your business card of course).
Network: This goes right along with tip #1. Don’t hang out in a corner all weekend, go meet people and introduce yourself. Find others in your niche and get to know them. The relationships you make here can lead to some pretty cool things in the future (guest posts, giveaways, etc.) The people you meet will also have a wealth of information you can use and share your own knowledge with them. Join Facebook groups and link up on social media to continue those new friendships in the future.
Participate: Make the most of the conference and attend the events. The evening parties at Blog Elevated were some of the best parts of the conference. When you are in the sessions, ask questions! You are there to learn and learning is not a passive activity. Also, bring your laptop along so you can participate and learn “live” instead of having to take notes and try to figure everything out when you get home.
Get free stuff: Two words – swag bag! You can usually count on some pretty sweet gifts from the conference and the sponsors!
Enjoy: This is the one place you get to be in a room full of people who “get” what you do. No one looks at you funny when you are in an awkward position trying to get the perfect photo for an Instagram post. Make the most of the time you have with people who truly understand this blogging thing you are so passionate about!

My absolute favorite part of attending Blog Elevated was rooming with the girls I’d met through the Houston Blogger Social Club. I felt like I was back in the sorority house getting ready together. Special thanks to The Monogram Shop in Houston Texas for gifting us monogram bathrobes for our trip!

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Oliver's Travels