More behind the scenes of the BHG shoot…

By now some of you have received the January 2017 copy of Better Homes & Gardens. Inside they’ve featured our DIY dog crate hack, so as you’re standing in the grocery line…leaf through or pick up your own copy! In this post I’ll be sharing what really goes on behind the scenes when Better Homes & Gardens comes to your house ;-)

And I have more good news! I’ve written my first Better Homes and Gardens “Style Spotters” article on BHG.com, so I now have two features in both the online and print version of one of my favorite magazines:

“6 Ways To Make Your Home Look Luxe for Less”

Catilin Sole, the online editor for BHG.com asked that I write an article for the Better Homes & Gardens blog. Stepping out and writing for a major publication is so intimidating because I’m very “conversational” here on my own blog, so I was a little nervous to put myself out there. But when I finally peeked at my article “6 Ways to Make Your Home Look Luxe for Less” the feedback was really positive.

And then they shared it on Facebook…

Whoa! Almost a thousand likes and it was forwarded 299 times?  So exciting! 

How it all began:

A simple hashtag on Instagram gained the attention of Kit Selzer, Senior Remodeling & Projects Editor, Better Homes and Gardens. Never underestimate the power of a hashtag, right? If you have a dog crate then you certainly understand the dilemma of turning that corner of your house into a useful space!  #dogcratehacks  

So here is the photo that did it. In my original photo, my “styling” was just throwing things on top of the table. Maybe they knew it was a cry for help! :)  But I was working full time at the time and didn’t put a lot of thought into that photo, looking back.

About the shoot:

This pretty lady was the stylist who was assigned to my shoot. Her name is Kris Kennedy, (be sure to follow her on Instagram). In addition to being a freelance stylist for major magazines, she’s working in partnership with Lowe’s and styling stores for their expansion into urban markets. She assured me several times to not worry about cleaning my house…she’d be destroying it by digging into the hidden depths of my closet and holiday decor.

Well…

She wasn’t kidding! Her “magic” involves shopping my house using items I normally use in my decor. I did clean like a madwoman (who wouldn’t?), but soon I found myself immediately escorting her down to the dark depths of my storage area so that she could “shop my home”. We’re talking about places that you would never show friends…including my closets!

So, we’ve had holiday decor out since September :)  Maybe this explains why I put it all away in favor of “winter decorating”.

The next morning, this adorable couple (and their dog!) had driven 10 hours overnight from Idaho because their flights were canceled due to bad weather. Yes, they stayed up all night in the name of this shoot…poor dears! The team set up two different shots; one staged for the potential holiday edition and another for the January issue. So I required wardrobe options for both.

Staging the shot would take about a half hour. Kris would work her decorating and styling magic then the team would work on lighting, spacing, and composition on the screen. As this was happening, I was trying on various outfits from my own wardrobe. I had about 15 changes of clothes since they weren’t sure whether this shoot would make the holiday issue or potentially January. My shopping endeavors came up short for holiday wear, especially since it was September!

During the shoot, temperatures reached almost 90 degrees inside the house (thanks to a failed air conditioner) they were so incredibly kind and patient with us. And Buddy started to get crabby and was nipping at the photographers.

Our plan was to grab lunch but with the travel issues we were short on time and Kris would be flying out that evening. I’m so glad I had fresh fruit and snacks and a mini lunch prepared. It wasn’t a beautiful spread, but it certainly did the trick to get us all through the day.

I rarely take photos of myself. I was a bit nervous since my happy-married-weight-gain was showing, and here I am putting myself out there in a magazine with a circulation of 7 million copies per month (gulp!) But you know what? It’s just weight…and that’s just life…weight comes and goes. Ya know? I have a knee injury from our sand volleyball league and it was really starting to hurt as I held that pose :)…and I was sweating way more than you’ll ever know in that picture.  :)  So now, you know!

Be sure to check the newstands…January 2017, here we come!