✨DREAMS COME TRUE!!✨That’s my home on the COVER! I’m so honored to have had the opportunity to have my Christmas home on the cover, the inside cover, and a ten page feature in the 2021 The Cottage Journal Holiday Home magazine!

I was so busy last holiday season with the magazine and my daughter’s wedding I never had a chance to write a blog post about this extraordinary experience!

The Cottage Journal contacted me Fall 2020, asked if I would like to be featured in one of their 2021 Christmas magazines. I was thrilled!! I couldn’t believe it! I immediately got to work planning, designing, and styling each room before the photo shoots. I worried so much about every little detail - every little ornament, every ribbon, and every piece of greenery. My husband Justin and I did all the photography since we have our own light kit, tripod, and DSLR camera. This worked out well because we were able to shoot one room at a time - especially with having five kids at home.

I wanted everything to be perfect, and have as much natural light as possible, so we ended up reshooting the dining room and living room three times. After I sent the raw photos to The Cottage Journal team during January of 2021.

Then in July, amazing writer Katie reached out to me with questions to answer for the article. Katie did an outstanding job! The article was like a window to my heart.

In September Katie conveyed to me the most exciting new ever - that my home, my photography, was going to be on their cover story! I couldn’t believe it - my home was going to be on the cover of a prestigious interiors design magazine!!

The magazine hit newsstands on October 12th, 2021. I received two complimentary copies a few weeks before that. When I first opened the package with the publication I sobbed with joy. It was an incredible feeling!

The next several weeks were magical as my family and I would go around to different stores to find the magazine. It was fun to be at the check out counters at places like Albertsons or Lowes, and to look over and see my Christmas living room while I’m purchasing our items.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the wonderful The Cottage Journal team for choosing me! It was an extraordinary experience!

To see the article in its entirety you can find it online - Google The Cottage Journal Holiday Home 2021.

I LOVE Valentine's Day so much, and sometimes I just wish I could go into stores and buy everything that is heart shaped, red, pink, blush etc! (I have to constrain myself - especially at Target.) This year I wanted make a Valentines Day wreath- but I didn't want to spend a lot of time or money. So I took this Boxwood Wreath I bought at Target a couple years ago and transformed it!

To update this on wreath on the cheap, I went to Dollar Tree and bought three packages of heart picks at a $1.00 per package. I broke the sticks in half and stuck them in the grapevine part of the wreath. Next I added some Valentine's Day ribbon, (also purchased at the dollar store,) and made a bow. Now it's ready to hang on my front door! And it only took me ten minuets start to finish!

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Now it’s ready to hang from the top of a door. Or you can make a bow instead, and hook the back the grapevine wreath to a Command hook or nail.