Remember our dear sweet never-hurt-a-fly Ramsey who watched over us in a not-creepy-at-all way when we slept?
He was a beloved member of our household and even inspired Burger to do yoga.
Well, Ramsey will be missed.
And yes, it totally felt like this tragedy of yore all over again.
Except John didn’t draw a depiction of the event…
… because it actually wasn’t John’s fault. But yes, yesterday we bid a fond farewell to our TJ Maxx find when he somehow popped off the wall in the kitchen where he was temporarily hanging for a book vignette above the fireplace. No one was even in the room to attempt to catch him on the way down. It pains me that he died alone. John’s even a little sad too. He was a good little ram. And we loved sleeping under his all-knowing gaze very much.
We were doing so well over the last three weeks of photo-shoot madness. A house full of cameras + people + equipment + secret projects + extra furniture/accessories is definitely like Catherine Zeta Jones trying to slither through those red lasers in that scene in Entrapment (you know the one). Except more lurchy and uncoordinated. Which is why it’s no surprise that on our second to last day of shooting (yes, today is our very last book shoot day after three full weeks of photography here at our casa!!!) Ramsey was our first casualty. Poor guy. What not-creepy-at-all ceramic animal will we hang over our bed now? We’ll just have to wait and see who catches our eye. But for the time being, there’s a hole in our hearts (and on our wall) for our dearly departed Ramsey.
Speaking of the end of our book shoots (can you believe our last book process post was three whole weeks ago?) we thought it would be fun to share a few pics from the last 21 insanely exhausting yet completely amazing and exhilarating days of essentially turning this pile of paper…
… into a holy-cow-it’s-real book that now just needs to be laid out/designed, sent off to “the printer’s”, and will be available for preorder this summer and out this fall. Ahhhhhh. And you know this little ol’ blog is just about whatever’s going on at our house (projects, broken ceramic animals, miscellaneous photography-related chaos), so we had to alert you to the latest (both in ram-related injuries and photography progress). As our shooting marathon draws to a close, we have shot over 2,000 photos (!!!) out of which 200-ish will make the final cut (we got lots of angles and progress pics and variations of things, so for every ten shots that we took, we usually just kept one). We even shot three different cover concepts yesterday – all of which we managed to worm our way out of (haha, we were so freaked out by the idea of seeing our smiling mugs on the cover of the book for years to come). They all came out really great – especially without our awkward faces in them – so we can’t wait to see which one they pick.
And you know over-sharers like us want to spill those pics and deets rightthissecond, but alas, we’re not allowed (gotta save it for fall when the book is out). So without further ado: here’s as much as we’re permitted to divulge when it comes to the chaos that was our lives during these past three weeks. Um yeah, the playroom has secretly been painted about nine times. Not kidding.
Different parts of the room got different colors that we assigned to spotlight specific shots/projects/vignettes (so the whole book isn’t full of Moonshine and Sesame and the other few colors in our house). So yes, part of the reason we’re tackling more Dude, Get On That Already challenges is definitely because all the items that used to live in the playroom have been offset into other rooms while we paint/shoot in there (the sunroom, guest room, our bedroom, and the dining room = crazytown). In keeping-it-real news, about four colors into it we got sick of repainting. Haha.
But oddly enough by about the eight and ninth ones it felt like second nature. Last night we even stenciled one wall for a special shot that we’re taking this afternoon. Yowsa. What will we do with ourselves when we’re not painting the playroom walls every few days after Clara goes to bed?
There was also gluing, taping, spray painting, dyeing, stenciling, staining, and a bunch of other secret DIY bid-ness going on. And we had to protect our hands for process shots throughout so we didn’t look – as Clara would say – “messy, messy, Mommy!” – hence all my dark nail polish as of late (to hide the grub under my nails) and John’s Dexter-ish rubber gloves.
Clara had a lot of fun checking things out (and yes, those are my snazzy spray painting clothes, complete with fuzzy red socks). The photographer’s name is Kip Dawkins and Clara loved following him around squealing “Hi Kip! Hi Kip! Hi Kip!” on repeat (kind of like kids asking “are we there yet?” every two minutes on a road trip). By the end of week one she not only knew everyone’s name, she could identify their cars when they pulled into the driveway (“Marcie’s car! Kip’s car! Susan’s car!” was a normal morning refrain) and was surprisingly good about keeping a pretty safe distance while still enjoying all the action. We’re so grateful this insanity didn’t completely wreck Clara’s life (and very very thankful for John’s parents, who snuck off with her whenever things got really hairy). But she did amazingly well with so much “change” at home – in fact, I think she might ask where everyone went when they stop coming by every day.
Here’s how we shot some of our pics to demonstrate how a few of our projects were done mid-process. The bigger ones got laid out on the floor and shot from further away. That white thing in the background is a “seamless” so the process shots look simple and uncluttered, while most of the after shots are things that we “styled in situation” – meaning they’re somewhere in our house to give those photos some environment (ex: on a table/on the wall/in a room/near a window or door/outside/etc – but they’ll probably only look vaguely familiar as being in our house since so many things like furniture arrangements and wall colors and accessories have changed). Oh and the thing over us is a reflector to keep the lighting consistent throughout the book. I liked to pretend it was a sail and we were out in the tropics on a boat. I guess I’m just as guilty of daydreaming as Clara (who saw fishies here).
Burger was also pretty cool with all the new folks and extra stuff in our space. Look, here he is perching on disembodied Karl like it’s no big deal. We worked him into the book like a champ. What’s a YHL book without some quality Burger shots up in there?
It was at this moment about a week and a half into shooting when we realized that our house hadn’t looked this crazy since moving day. Yup, that’s our guest bed in the corner of the living room. We carried that thing all over our house for different shots. It became kind of a game. Where can we put the bed next? The funny thing is that the bed shows how giant this room really is. It’s a gymnasium-sized room.
Here’s that same guest bed up against the back of the fireplace, completely blocking traffic. That finished book shot is actually one of our favorites. It was two projects in one being shown in that picture (neither of which are visible here of course). Oh man, is it fall yet? Can’t wait to show you guys.
Look, no more bed in the corner, but that’s a drop leaf table back there. We had some dining scenes to shoot and since we have a giant round table we had to borrow a regular rectangular one from a local shop for the day to make normal shots easier to snag.
Oh and look, that’s not our sofa! It’s another borrowed-from-a-local-shop item that we used for a few vignettes. This sofa also shows how giant Karl the Sectional is (we have eight of those pics hanging above Karl, as contrasted with the three over this standard-sized sofa).
So to the crew who are practically like family after nearly a month of “living” with us: thanks for everything! And to you guys for bearing with us while we’ve juggled this and the kitchen redo and the bean and “the bug” that tore through our house earlier this week and all of our Portland prep (which means we were a little slower on comments from time to time): thanks for understanding! And to any and all varieties of dark chocolate: we couldn’t have done it without you! Hey, when you don’t drink coffee you have to grab a little zing of caffeine anywhere ya can.
Have you guys broken anything lately? Or completely turned your house upside down? Or gotten to know a group of total strangers over the course of a month to the point that you know their favorite music/food/color/quotes/movies? It’s so crazy how much has happened since Christmas. Is anyone else still scratching their heads that it’s mid-February? How did that happen?
Psst- You can check out our other three book-related posts over the last year here, here, and here.
Oh my gosh. You guys are usually so neat with your house, it must have been hard to love with such chaos! I feel like our house is always in chaos. lol At the moment, even though we are doing our bathroom, I have started throwing things into our future reading room (next on our project list). It is a DISASTER. Furniture and chotchkies everywhere. Anytime I do any sort of project, it always looks like a bomb hit it in the beginning.
Seriously CANNOT wait to buy your book!
*Live with such chaos. lol
Nooooo! I’m still not over the Greyhound disaster. I really want one of those to confused the bejesus out of my real Grey. I’ll even move it around the house from time to time to freak her out.
As I read this, I couldn’t help but wonder…did watching your professional photographer give you any ideas/tips when it comes to shooting for your blog? I think you two always do such a good job with your photographs on here…especially since you take so many indoor photos. That’s something I really struggle with. I can’t wait to see the book- you really have put in a lot of hard work!
We learned a lot about how the pros do it – but not much that’s attainable since he has such amazing things like reflectors and flashes and a tether so all the photos come up on his computer. It’s such a fanstastic “production” to witness!
xo,
s
Sorry about the ram, I hate it when things I love break.
On a happier note I am so pumped about your book! Totally pre-ordering when it is available. :)
I feel for you and the poor Ram. I’m actually reading your blog instead of priming the bathroom at this moment (came down to get towels to pad the bathtub for the ladder and distracted myself). May I just say that I am SO envious of your smooth walls? Ours are that stupid knock down texture that takes at least two coats to change a color and then you still have to go through with a little paintbrush to take care of those little dots of the old color that show up. But I guess I will take joy in knowing I’m just going to paint these particular walls one more time — and I’m praying the next house has smooth walls. Thanks for letting me moan and groan.
So sorry to hear about Ram. You had me all choked up when you said that he died alone. So very sad. He will be missed.
So exciting! :)
And yes, I also am completely shocked that it’s already nearing the end of February. Craaaazy how fast these last 6 weeks have gone.
I would be going nuts with everything everywhere, and all those people in my house. Unless they knew how to cook. Then I might be ok.
RIP Ramsy. :(
I’m so excited about your book! I can’t wait to pre-order it. Your book will be my very first design book, woohoo! haha
congratulations on completion of this part of the project!! i have to ask: where the heck did you find that ADORABLE couch in the last photo? i need to have it!!
I think that answer is on the first page of comments for ya! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I’m sure it must be so hard to keep all the book news and photos to yourself when we know how much y’all like to share! Thanks for sharing some behind-the-scenes shots!
We went through the same anticipation when we were on a reality tv show for our master suite renovation. I had to be very careful which photos I posted to the blog before the show aired. Now that it’s out we can bare all, which I recently did here: http://9adventures.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/15-minutes-of-fame-being-on-tv/.
Can’t wait to see/learn more about the book as things progress!
So exciting!
xo,
s
I know exactly how you feel. I filmed a segment for a reality TV show last Fall, so we had a camera crew of 8 (maybe 9?) at the house. And that was just for a couple of days! I can’t imagine four weeks of such chaos.
I’m looking forward to your Portland trip, and will be attending one of the “meet and greets.”
Enjoy your tiny window of normal life!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
See you next week!
-John
We’ve had all of our bedroom furniture out in the living room/dining room for the past week or so since we’ve been putting down floors and painting in the bedroom. I have also been sick the past couple days and completely overwhelmed that I haven’t been able to get as much done. But after seeing what you all are going through on top of being sick earlier in the week I’m encouraged. Thanks for keeping me in perspective. Things will hopefully be back to “normal” soon (for you and I both).
P.S. Can’t wait for the book!
Wow. I need a nap just from reading that post. I’m never going to complain about being “too busy” again. (And we don’t even have a kid!)
wow! i grew up in richmond and interviewed kip for a high school photography class in 1998 or so. i’ve often thought of how patient he was with my stupid questions and been really appreciative of him. so nice to see this and excited for the book!
I have a question about the borrowed furniture for the shots. I work for a premedia company and we have to rent any furniture we use for our shots(and it’s crazy how expensive renting is). Did they really let you just borrow it? That’s amazing! Maybe it’s because we’re in a big impersonal city (Toronto) versus your smaller town. Or maybe it’s a southern thing. But aren’t Canadians supposed to be the nice ones? :)
We had to pay for trucking and get it back within 4 hours! So it was a crazy fire-drill-type situation and it was $250 to truck it here and back but we didn’t have to buy a sofa – which was nice because our strict book budget didn’t allow for it!
xo
s
I continue to be amazed by everything you’re doing all at the same time. I hope that you’re sleeping, but I can’t imagine how!
I’m exhausted just reading that, I can only imagine what a whirlwind the last few months have been for you guys! And without caffeine??? You’re right, you guys are crazy haha. I’d never survive!
Poor Ramsy!
oh my goodness, I can’t believe how crazy your house looks! And all the things you’ve been juggling (and then being sick on top of that) – amazing! So, what are you guys going to do after you get back from Portland (assuming your house is all put back together by then)? Sleep for 3 days straight?
Can’t wait for the book! I don’t think I’ve been this excited for a book to come out since the Harry Potter series! (LOL, but it’s true)
Sleep and some much needed relaxation after Portland is definitely in order! Assuming Clara is ok with that (and not thrown off from the time difference- haha).
xo,
s
That bed in the corner of your family room reminds me of when we moved into our house. Our layout is almost exactly like yours. Our house needed extensive cleaning and painting, so we just lived in the family room for the first month. In truth it didn’t even feel like we needed to move into the rest of the house because we weren’t used to so much space!
I am so incredibly excited for this book. I am definitely pre-ordering! I love that you guys came up with all sorts of new projects for it. You’ve really been inspiring me to get extra thrifty lately– I’ve been visiting flea markets and thrift stores several times per month to find awesome new decor– so I can’t wait to see what’s in the book!
P.S. I totally depend on dark chocolate when I’m stressed out, too. lol No shame!
Poor, poor Ramsey. :(
There is a little part of me that likes seeing your house look like this since mine has for oh… about a month now. :) I don’t have an excuse as cool as yours though. Christmas presents that had no obvious home, back injury, birthday, then the flu…. well. It’s just gotten away from me. And my sick body dictates that I will be sleeping this weekend away and my house will still be a wreck.
I looooooove those pillows that are shown in the first pic under John’s drawing! Where did you get them????? Gorgeous!
Those are ours from a while back from West Elm and HomeGoods!
xo,
s
RIP, Ram.
I love seeing all these in process shots of the photographers in your home! I used to be a photo assistant for a few years, and we shot spreads for an interior catalog. It’s one of my favorite jobs I’ve ever had. We would go to fancy homes and beautify rooms with product while the rest of the home would turn into a nightmare! But by the end of the day, it was our job to return it to it’s natural state – often times cleaner and more put together than it was originally! Ah, good times.
Wow- you were so nice to clean up at the end of each day – and smart! We have been putting that off for three weeks now so we’re in trouble! Haha.
xo,
s
Sorry about Ramikins. I’m so excited to read your book! And it appears as though it’s coming out this Fall. Yahooo!!
You kids need a spa day one day soon.
EEE! ORANGE WALL! I was secretly hoping for a minute there that you might be keeping it that way, until I read the part about you painting it 9 times. I want to paint our office orange (maybe one wall, maybe all of them) and have been hunting down different shades. Are you able to say what what paint color that was? Thanks so much!
It was Moroccan Spice by Benjamin Moore! After the third coat it was gorgeous!
xo,
s
ah.mazing. thank you! running off this weekend to pick up a paint sample… :o)
Good luck! It’s a gorgeous rich coral-red-orange color!
xo,
s
RIP Ramsey! Sad day =( However – I cannot wait to pre-order and actually GET the book! I am just beginning to DIY some things and visit your projects page pretty much daily for tips, tricks and inspiration. Thank you for all you guys have done (and will do)!
I am constantly amazed by you and everything you do! Can’t wait to support you guys even more when the book comes out! I can’t remember how the timeline went, but just wondering if you intentionally held off on doing anything to the playroom in anticipation of needing to use the room for book photo shoots? Or was that just a happy coincidence?
Total happy coincidence! The photographer has said over and over again “if we didn’t have that sunroom and that playroom I don’t know where we’d be!”
xo,
s
OMG! So sad to hear about the Ram. Were you able to salvage any pieces? My parents were able to glue their terracotta horse, that I featured in my post the other day, back.
http://whatsurhomestory.com/happy-friday-time-for-long-distance-decor/
Except for a small spot in the back it looks like new now. Looking forward to the playroom reveal and the book.
Oh no, he was a goner. So sad. Glad your parents salvaged theirs!
xo,
s
I cannot believe you don’t drink coffee. :)
So…those pictures above the sofa in your entryway…Where those nailed in or did you use command strips? I’m wondering becuase our house has plaster walls and I don’t want to put nails everywhere.
I can’t wait for you book to come out!!! All my friends know of ‘that little couple whose blog I follow’. (not that you’re little, but on my computer screen, well, you are).
We used nails because they were the fastest solution in this case. So we do have a bit of patching to do around the house (although most are so small we hopefully won’t notice once art is hung there).
-John
How exciting! I really cannot wait for the book. So sorry about your ram. I’m sure you will hunt down something fabulous though.
Aww that’s too bad about Ramsey. I suppose it’s just the law of statistics when you own that many that some will become casualties. I am so very excited for the book, I can’t wait!!!! And please please, pretty please tell me where that white ceramic squirrel in the last pic is from!
Haha- he’s from West Elm from John a while back. Three Christmases ago I think!
xo,
s
I loved seeing so many versions of your living room, when the guest bed started “walking” around, and all the guest furniture popping out :) The yellow wall color (to which John is puking) is gorgeous! Which is it? Also, who was feeding the crew? Was John cooking for all of you, or were they bringing their own sandwiches or were you/they ordering take-outs?
It’s actually a camel color by Benjmain Moore called Decatur Buff. And fortunately we had lunch ordered in so we didn’t have to worry about cooking this whole time!
-John
So sorry to hear about Ramsey! I broke my favorite candle holder this week on Valentines. It was a trio that is sadly now a duo. :( I’ve had that thing for 15 years and now it’s gone. What a bummer!
Aw, so sorry Angel!
xo,
s
Poor Ram.
With two dogs and two cats and a clumsy boyfriend, stuff breaks at our place all the time.
And then I bring all the broken dishes, coasters, tiles, etc. to school and give it to the art teacher. I hand over the broken bits rather forlornly and she’s all, “This will be great in my tile mosaic! Oh, um, I mean, sorry for your loss.”
But I forgive her because she designed my tattoo. So I repay her with broken crap from around my house.
Shery had a little ram…
Dude,
I did not like that ram!! But i didn’t want it to die! At least not that way!
Sry!
Secretly my goal is to crash the Amazon site when your book is available for preorder! Wouldn’t that be COOL if we all tried to preorder and big ol’ Amazon crashed? Just sending on a quote that my husband and I found when our children were little- “Be not so busy making a living, that you forget to make a life”. Just a word of caution. Love your blog and looking forward to your book, but really, if you guys want to take a week off or something I think you really would be missed but your followers would forgive you!
Oh my gosh, that Amazon thing would be crazy. I think it’ll survive though since much bigger books go up for presale there, haha. Thanks for the reminder to make time for ourselves! We definitely resolved to take a vacation this year and we intend to stick to it!
xo,
s
I have that saying as my ‘signature’ tag line in all my emails – LOVE that saying and even though it’s hard sometimes, I really do try to live that way. But it’s so easy for life to take over sometimes :)
Y’all are AMAZING! Can’t believe you completely re-did your gorgeous kitchen while all of this hoopla was happening behind the scenes. Can’t wait for the book to come out!!!!
I am so impressed with you guys. Instead of just repurposing your blog into a book – you worked your tail ends off to create a valuable edition to your readers home libraries. I can’t wait to get my hands on it!
I will think of you guys when I’m trying to wimp out on my project list this weekend :)
Aw thanks Angie!
xo,
s
Oh no, poor Ramsey. At least he was the only casualty!! I can’t beleive how much craziness you guys have been dealing with. At least you haven’t had any boring days lately. Everytime you post something about the book it just gets me more excited for it to be released!!!
I did have a small accident the other night :( I have a clear glass candle pedestal from Pier 1 that I dropped the edge of a wall hanging on… broke off a peice of the pedestal part. I glued it back on and turned it to the back. Made me sad when it happened. Too bad Ramsey wasn’t salvagable!
Aw, so sorry Teresa!
xo,
s
Aw, poor Ramsey. He is now in ceramic animal heaven, looking down and saying “man, that is one crazy-busy household! I couldn’t help it – I had to jump!”
Hahaha, sorry. Bad joke.
In other news, I am so excited for this book that I can’t stand it. Every time we get a teaser post, I am tempted to go ahead and put my order in for one!
Aw thanks Whitney! I hope he didn’t jump! I wondered if he just couldn’t take the craziness?
xo,
s
Wow, what a whirlwind experience. Do you manage to sleep in your bedroom or did you have to move your digs? Looking forward to the fall…
We kept our bed in our room the whole time- although it’s full of other crazy stuff! Interestingly enough, it’s easier to shoot a full sized bed instead of a queen (it can bow out) and a four-poster bed is odd in close shots (since the posts cut out of frame) so we just used the guest bed for everything!
xo,
s
I can understand no coffee, but surely there is some alcohol right? ;)
I’m thinking your long overdue vacation needs to involve a strong fruity beverage with an umbrella and a nice looooooong nap!
Haha, we’re really not big drinkers but I could totally go for a beach and an umbrella drink right now!
xo,
s
Sounds like things are a bit crazy for you guys! Hopefully you get a chance to relax (a little) soon :)
Side note, I stumbled upon this guy (http://www.amazon.com/UTC-85013-White-Resin-Dog/dp/B004QZBQI0/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_1) and thought of you. I know it’s no $30 find, but he’s great!
Oh yes, he’s handsome!
xo,
s
I’m so sorry for your loss. Please know that your family and the ram’s are in my thoughts. :-)
Goodness! You guys are going to need a white animal graveyard soon! I’m terribly sorry for your loss.
I spy sweet “Gee” chilin’ on the guest bed. :)
Yep – he’s making the book!
-John
Lovin’ the “pop of red” socks Sherry is sporting. Fashionista! Yes, all of that home stuff and all I got was socks, right?! lol
Ha! Those are her painting socks. We knew someone would notice.
-John
Congrats on finishing up shooting today. I still can’t believe you did that plus the kitchen redo! No wonder y’all caught a bug. Your body was probably screaming for rest. Ha e fun in Portland.
RIP Rammy.
Are ‘yall going to do a post about photo lighting/ staging? Pretty please?
I just KNOW that you must be learning a ton from the folks who have set up camp at your house for the better part of a month.
Thanks!
I wish we had stuff to share about that but we’re staging/styling everything ourselves and the photographer has such amazing things (fancy lenses and lights and reflectors and a cart with a computer that all the pics pop up on) so although it’s magical to watch him, it’s nothing that’s applicable for regular Joe’s like us. Haha.
xo,
s