it’s a true story

bonjour mes amis, ça va? i’m back from paris and have unpacked and downloaded the photos but the the trip is not quite over, and in a way it’s just begining. the experience of #embraceparis was one i’ll hold close to my heart for as long as i live, not only for the magnificent hospitality of Le Meurice, but the truly unforgettable ladies who came together from around the world for 3 days to share their knowledge and passion regarding their businesses and social media. at the end of the trip we each discussed what we’d like to do regarding the recap and for me, it was to profile each gal and introduce them and what they’ve shared with me.  i can say that we just scratched the surface and doing this post alone was a real eye opener. so without further ado…please meet the first lovely lady i got to know very quickly when we shared a tiny car and we cruised the streets of paris, day one… the inimitable blogger, lynne knowlton.

facebook.com/DesignTheLifeYouWantToLive

we were a small group of 10 and i’ve heard the story of how it all came together a couple of times but still am not exactly sure how it went down, but the adventure started something like this: some friends were getting together at what’s affectionaltely known as lynne’s ‘treehouse’.

she was hosting some friends for a restorative retreat. one couldn’t make it and tweeted to their mutual friend that it would be fun to do something in paris, maybe even hold it at one of her favorite french hotels. well, the tweet became reality and voilà, #embraceparis was born. it showed the women the scope of social media and that became the focus of the event. the rest is history and a lesson that for me was really powerful.

tripadvisor.com-A genuine_treehouse_retreat

what was just a playful idea became reality and for the next year carina and norma put it all together.

they gathered together a small group, each with a website, blog, FB, twitter and instagram. what was really striking is how much we learned from one another, with lynn, we talked about connecting, creating passive income, linking with affiliates, monetizing our websites and businesses with apps and podcasts. she details lots of this on her blog and is all about empowering others to do the same so if you get a chance, take a visit!

lynneknowlton.com/pool

lynne’s home is such an inspiration and i can only imagine the good time they all had at that first retreat.

and what was a dream became reality and before long we were all checking into the hotel, oohing and ahhing at the beauty of the oldest palace in paris.

all the photos in this post were taken by lynne who is a fabulous photographer and even wrote a great e-book on editing pics:

lynneknowlton-photo-app-ebook-of-awesomeness

we were warmly welcomed with flowers and champagne, a memory stick, a candle, postcards and chocolates!

ok i took this one…my room!

photo via outandaboutinparis- whizzing-around-paris-in-twiztour

lynne and i got to know each other pretty darn quick in the twiztour car we shared as soon as we met. we couldn’t stop talking and still have lots to catch up on in the days to come.

video by andrea claire

instagram.com/lynneknowlton

you can get to know lynn through some of her social media but there is a lot of information on her life and design projects throughout the web and on her site.

pinterest.com/lynneknowlton

if you get a chance, take some time to follow lynn, subscribe to her blog and get to know this wonderful lady, mother, wife, and playmate. she’s the funny friend who made you laugh in the back of the class…

twitter.com/lynneknowlton

lastly, take a look at the real lynn and don’t hesitate to contact her, you’ll be glad you did and so will she!