Palm Springs Getaway

Do you like to travel? I love to… especially to places I have never been. Last week I had such an opportunity when Waverly Inspirations, whom I am a brand ambassador for invited me to attend the Alt Summit Conference in Palm Springs, CA last week. It is a conference for lifestyle bloggers.

The trip was a nice getaway for me where I got to get out of my paint clothes for a week and get inspired by other bloggers, brands, and the sites of Palm Springs.

Palm Springs Ca

This is the view that greets you when you exit the Palm Springs airport. Breathtaking, plus the warmth of the winter sun stops you in your tracks if you came from a colder part of the country.

I hopped in a taxi for a short,

Palm Springs, CA

but scenic ride to…

…the Saguaro Hotel where the conference was held.

The hotel had a fun and colorful vibe that was a perfect setting for a lifestyle blogging conference that welcomed creative, craft, fashion, food, DIY, and decor bloggers. Along with podcasters, Etsy sellers and more.

This was the common area of the conference where breakfast was held and an all day place to hang out.

When the sun started to go down in the late afternoon, the table fireplaces were lit and it became a popular place since the air starts to get chilly.

Waverly Inspirations was the main sponsor of the conference and had their booth and displays set up outside in the sunshine.

I took this photo when most of the attendees were inside attending classes and not out meeting the sponsors and learning about their products.

Seeing the fabrics I have been creating with since last summer all together in natural light, instead of under the florescent lighting of Walmart where the fabrics are sold was a feast for my eyes. :-)

Plants in Palm Springs

Seeing all the new to me plant life around the hotel and Palm Springs was a delight too. Does anyone know what this vibrantly colored plant is called?

The hotel was more of a motel and didn’t have large common areas to hold a lot of people, so lunch everyday was held picnic style out in the parking lot. More delight for my eyes. It was truly perfect…. eating a delish bag lunch with other bloggers while enjoying the fantastic view.

Buzz bus in Palm Springs

One afternoon I decided to go out and check out the city of Palm Springs. The bus called the Buzz made it easy. It is free and runs every 15 minutes. It goes all around Palm Springs. I also took it into town to eat dinner one night with a group of bloggers that I met.

The uptown and downtown areas are filled with shops…

…restaurants and lots of sidewalk cafes.

It was busy with tourists.

One thing that fascinated me was the huge palm trees that line many of the streets.  The UBER driver that took me to the airport told me that they have to keep them trimmed in blunt fashion so that the dried palms don’t slash through someone like a knife when then fall out.

Since the weather was divine, I got up early each morning and walked around the residential area around the hotel.  The sunrise casts an orange glow over the San Jacinto mountain range and made it a very nice way to start my day.

As I walked around different neighborhoods each morning, I noticed that all the homes are one story ranch style homes where all the exteriors are in neutral colors. Nothing to distract from the sky and mountains.

lake view

As much as I enjoyed going to Palm Springs, attending the conference and meeting new people, it is alway nice to come home.

Thanks to Waverly or sponsoring this trip. :-)

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31 Comments

  1. Lisa Marie says:

    My parents moved to Palm Springs when they retired. The summers are brutal. You visited the city at the best time of the year!!!

  2. St. Paul Electrician says:

    I would love to travel to there! I would love to see mountains.

  3. Thanks so much! I will definitely look at Wal-Mart.

    Katie B.

  4. What a gorgeous getaway Diane. I love the mountains views and the shops look amazing. What a fun trip

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Vanessa – It was a nice trip and I enjoyed shopping, but didn’t buy anything since my carry-on suitcase was packed to the brim already. :-)

  5. Inside pillow covers! Thanks!

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Katie –

      In a few weeks there will be a whole new selection of spring fabrics popping up at fabric stores. I started looking already but have not found what I am looking for yet. I want to make new covers for the back cushions on my sofa. For pillow covers you can use just about any weight of fabric. Cushion cover need a little more heft like a twill or cotton duck fabric. I can’t say there is any one fabric that would be good for spring, besides of course fresh colors which I know Waverly Inspirations has a lot of at Walmart. I would check them out and head to your local fabric store and even online fabric sites until you see a fabric that makes you smile and coordinates with your decor.

  6. Thank you for posting all the pictures of this beautiful place. I love Waverly fabrics!

  7. What a lovely trip and to such a beautiful spot! What is the name of the conference you attended? It would be fun to attend something like this since I’m an etsy seller and just starting my blog… Always love your updates.

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Beth – The conference is called Alt Summit. It is held once a year and then sometimes they have one day conferences around the country. You can find out more by going to http://www.altitudesummit.com/

  8. The plant is a bromeliad… I’m from Houston and they do really well in our Zone 10 weather! Thanks for sharing your pictures, Palm Springs is now on my bucket list! Love all the color there!

  9. Yay for a great trip review. Do you have any suggestions for good material to use to create some spring/summer pillow covers?

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Katie – Are you going to use them inside or outside?

  10. DeeAnn Bradley says:

    Hi Diane,
    Glad you got to enjoy beautiful Palm Springs in ‘winter’ when color is not overwhelmed by heat. We trim our Palm tree every year not even leaving ‘skirt’ (gets nasty).
    I live just on other side of San Jacinto mountains that you photographed, they dominate view from Palm Springs and Valle Vista. Hope your visit inspiriring and rejuvenating.
    -deeAnn

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi DeeAnn – I was wondering what it was like on the other side of the mountains. Is the grass greener on the other side of the mountain? :-)

  11. Melissa Leach says:

    On my one and only trip to Palm Springs I was taken with the large misters that lined the streets. Because of the heat they offered much relief for folks sitting at the outdoor cafes. Pretty neat! Palm Springs really is a beautiful place.
    Looks like you have received lots of info on Bromelaids. I found them a little more expensive than what you would think but, worth it. Glad you enjoyed the conference. Can’t wait for the kitchen reveal :)

  12. wow, what a nice trip you had! And I know how you love meeting new bloggers and all. From reading your blog for so long, I am not surprised that you perused the neighborhood every morning! I love Waverly fabrics, and the ones in your pictures accentuated the surroundings nicely.
    Yes, Bromeliads are beautiful but not very hardy in my zone 6 area, although there might be some varieties more hardy than others. And the “babies’ are called Pups.
    Thanks for sharing your adventure, Diane!

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Sharon –

      Thanks for reading my blog for so long :-) We go back to the early days of blogging. I live in hardiness zone 7b. I will have to check if the Bromeliads can be planted outside.

      1. Gail Daigh says:

        They can sometimes survive inside, but I’d be surprised if they would survive in your climate, Diane. We can grow them inside and outside here in my town, Hemet, CA; Valle Vista is right outside Hemet. It was 117 one day last summer! Here lately we have had so much rain I’ve not been able to paint yet!

  13. I am taking a first time trip to Palm Springs next Thanksgiving. Thanks for all the colorful photos. I hadn’t pictured mountains. Looks like a beautiful place to visit! Even more excited about the trip now!

  14. Diane, what is your outdoor furniture? I’ve been looking for something just like that. Thanks!

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Sara – The outdoor table and chair you see on my deck in the photo was left by the previous owners of the house. It is a round patio set from Brown Jordan. They left us 2 tables and 10 chairs. They are very nice. I am not sure the chairs are sold anymore, but this link will take you to the table. My table has a speckled white finish and a hole in the glass. It has matching sling back chairs. http://www.brownjordan.com/product/48%27%27-dining-table-roma.do?sortby=ourPicksAscend&page=3&refType=&from=fn

  15. That plant is a Bromeliad. I have dozens and dozens of bromeliadsof many types in my So FL garden and some shoot beautiful, sturdy blooms out that last for weeks or months while others, like this one, have colored leaves or bracts similar to a poinsettia. As long as the cups keep water in them they are maintenance free.

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Pamela – Thanks for the info about the name of the plant, Bromeliad. I am going to have to see if I can find some at a nursery near me. I love it. Your garden must be beautiful. :-)

  16. Linda Weeks says:

    Wow, it must be nice to get to travel like that! Waverly have always had my favorite fabric designs – classy stuff!

  17. Linda Lash says:

    The vibrantly colored plant is a Bromeliad a member of the lily family. We had them in Arizona

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Linda – Thanks for giving me the name of the plant. In the lily family, I would have never know. :-) Does it stay colorful year round?

      1. Linda Lash says:

        They do, but the plants only live a few years, however you can grow new ones from the mother plant. Google it for lots more info.

        1. Diane Henkler says:

          That is good to know Linda. I am going to Google right now. :-)

          1. Diane you can place a “mother” plant (I picked one up in my Greenville, SC Walmart) outside in a bright locale during the summer and you will find at least two babies growing in your pot. Prolific and quite large over time.

          2. Diane Henkler says:

            Hi Erin – Thanks I will check out the Walmart’s around me. I am sure once they start getting the garden shop up and going for spring I will be able to find one.