I have been hinting at something big happening for a little while now, but now I can finally share what some of the news finally is………Do It Yourself Magazine came out & shot our tiny house for a future issue.  I still don’t believe it & I was here throughout the whole process.

For those of you not familiar, Do It Yourself is a Special Interest Publication released by Better Homes & Gardens & is always packed full of some amazing ideas & spaces.

Here’s how we got the news… Over the summer an Editor came and scouted our house thanks to a very special & uber talented designer Sherry Hart.  She walked the house, snapped some shots & I figured that was that.  It was an honor they came out & even looked at our modest 1000 sq ft home.  I mean honestly, houses like ours aren’t in magazines.

A few months later, on a whim, I decided to completely redo our dining room.  Not even kidding, the same day I ripped apart the dining room I got an email about The Home Depot: Holiday Challenge I posted about yesterday & then the mother of all emails stating that Do It Yourself wants to come shoot your house!  I about died.  Literally.

So now you guys understand why there have been so many projects going on over here!  We haven’t really slept & we are still trying to catch up now. Not knowing what areas were going to be shot, I walked around examining everything.  If I had any hesitations about anything I changed it.  That’s why the hutch went from white to black literally over night.  Not to mention the fact that we had Christmas up & down within a few days in order to meet the requirements of both shoots.

This past Monday & Tuesday all of my tweaking & changes were put to the test as it was time for the shoot.  An amazing team were sent in to experience a test in shooting little spaces.  But Brenda {the stylist}and  Jeff  & Amy {the photography team} were absolute pros & knew how to get around any obstacle.

Our home was instantly filled with camera equipment… & a bored little kid. 
Who soon became “that” kid.
Luckily, the hubs came home early that day & took Chloe out for a “Daddy Daughter Day” while I stayed & tried to absorb the whole process.  I was trying to take in every detail of the shoot.  Why things were placed the way the were, the camera lens’ being used… I realized I had become “that” girl too.  The annoying one going around saying “whatcha doin’?!”  I was fascinated & amazed.  Especially when the images would start to appear on this screen.  My dad, who was on Chloe duty day two, saw the pictures & said ironically enough “That looks like a Magazine!” Well, I should hope so πŸ™‚
A few things were brought in to help brighten our space for the glossy pages.  A few rug alternates were shipped in (one of which I fell in love with & made sure it stayed!), a few brightly colored towels, some art switcheroos & all the fresh flowers!  I’ve determined that we do not have enough fresh flowers in our home on a daily basis.  They just make me smile.
Here comes some of the trickery… when you are looking at a room in a magazine you think, I love how that room is laid out!  But little do you know, if you turn your camera an inch to the right the table is in the middle of the doorway & the area rug is only covering half of the floor.  Furniture was rearranged for the shot, not for the ideal living experience.  Our dog Indy didn’t let that take away from her daily sofa time though.
After two days of shooting, it was done.  Life goes back to normal now & we wait for the release.  Obviously, I will keep you all posted on when the issue comes out.  But until then, I’m okay with a little down time.  I am looking forward to tackling some of my client’s projects that have been neglected during these few months.  It will be nice to focus my attention on other homes at least for just a few days πŸ™‚  You know I always have something brewing.  
Big thanks go out to my supportive family & friends.  
Without your encouraging words, I may have gone off the deep end.  
THANK YOU!!
{btw… that isn’t all of the big news!}
xo-