I Did It - Better Homes and Gardens Feature

Used with permission from Better Homes and Gardens® magazine. ©2014 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

I DID IT! No, but really I was featured in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

The I DID IT feature section in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine has been one that I’ve always drooled over and said “I wish I could be featured in there” As a blogger, there are so many things that you hope to happen as a content creator and I am here to tell you that I am marking one of those things off the list.

I have been holding this in for a while, but I am excited to finally announce that I have been featured in the July 2018 issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine! (Does Happy Dance) I’m sure you’re wondering, how the heck did I swing that? Well todays your lucky day because I’m giving the inside scoop on how it all went down.

Where It All Began

I was at work, like any other day and I was sitting in a meeting. This particular meeting had gone pretty long and was wrapping up so I decided to check my emails on my phone. I noticed I had a customer message from my blogs contact page so I opened it up and that was the beginning of this great adventure. Check out what it said:

Who knew that such a small email could be so exciting!! At first I wasn’t sure what to think. I thought; is this real? (But really) and how did she even find me? Then I immediately replied back with Yes! I would love that.

After a few email exchanges, she gave me a call and explained that she loved my DIY Tile Stenciled Coffee Table project and wanted to feature it in the I Did It section of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine and although I tried to sound professional I was super giddy inside.

After the call, we exchanged emails back and forth to decide when the shoot would be and where and finally decided on a day. The anticipation of it all was killing me; I just couldn’t wait.

The Walkthrough

After about a month and a half of sending emails back and forth, the day for the shoot was finally near! The day before the shoot, Lindsey the photo stylist, came to the house to check out the space and brainstorm and gave me a rundown of what to expect for the next day shoot. We also talked through wardrobe.

At this point, I had so much excitement for the shoot. I mean I knew the shoot was going to take place but the fact that it was actually happening in real time was so fun and liberating. That night I went through my wardrobe thinking, “What in the world am I going to wear?” and the worst part was I had to bring options! You would think with as many clothes as I have in my closet I would have a lot of options, but apparently not. At least not good enough for Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

The Shoot

The day of the shoot was super fun! I had all of this built up excitement in me and the day was finally here.

The first thing we did was decide what I was going to wear. It didn’t take long for Lindsey to pick out the bright colored shirt I brought.

While talking through wardrobe, the photographer started doing some test shots to figure out where exactly we would shoot and what props we were going to leave in the shot. All of this was so fun to experience. The ladies were so nice and down to earth and I enjoyed spending half of the day with them.

Once we decided on what the shot would look like, it was time to take the actual photos. Now mind you, we spent around 3 hours doing test shots, reorganizing furniture and preparing for the actual shot, so I’m thinking surely the shot will take some time.

But to my surprise, after about 15 shots we were done! It’s crazy how the setup can take so long!

After we finished the main shot, I changed my shirt to take some headshots for the second page of the I DID It feature. This is when I really started having fun with the camera.

Even though they wanted a different color for the headshot, the pink shirt was just such a great color, we decided to take a headshot in that shirt too!

WRAPPING UP

Once everything was finished with the shoot, I asked Lindsey when she thought the shoot would publish and she wasn’t sure, so I had to play the waiting game. They packed up all their equipment and we took a final photo to remember the experience. These ladies were so great to work with.

The shoot took place in February and it wasn’t until about a month after that I got an email saying the issue would publish in the Better Homes and Gardens July 2018 issue. I was super excited to know when it was going to be published but also bummed I would have to hold it in so long!

After sending emails back and forth to Kit with interview questions and wrap up questions, it was finally getting close to the day the magazine hit the stands. A few days before I was super excited and finally started telling people about the feature. I was letting people know if they want a magazine, they better go before my mom hits the stores, or else there would be none left! Ha! Love you Mom!

Let’s take a look at the final result!

Used with permission from Better Homes and Gardens® magazine. ©2014 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

If you are a Home and Gardens blogger and would like to be featured too. Check out Better Homes and Gardens Website and submit your projects for the I Did It section. And O yea go get that July 2018 issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine and check your girl out!

Thanks for reading guys!

XOXO Ashley