Picture me miming the act of getting out the ol’ Bucket List and crossing off one of the most major “pipe dream” things on there. As we quickly mentioned here, three Wednesdays ago The Nate Berkus Show contacted us and asked if we’d be interested in being on their show… which was taping just two short days later in NYC. If so they’d fly us out the very next day.
Uh, yes please.
See, I’ve been obsessed with Nate for years. And not just mildly obsessed, we’re talking can’t-mention-him-without-my-voice-going-up-an-octave status. The man just does something to me (check out a few I-love-Nate posts of yore here and here). But what the heck would we be doing on the show anyway? They explained that they were introducing a new feature: Nate’s Crate Design Challenge. It would involve two real-people contestants competing for his affection design kudos using a mystery crate full of basic household items (craft paper, blankets, a feather duster, push pins, burlap, staple guns). Basically Nate would be challenging them to a design duel on two identical white rooms for the hour-long duration of the episode using only those unconventional decorating items to alter their spaces and score the win. Here’s a pic of those lucky ladies with their finished rooms behind them:
But where did we fit in? They actually wanted us to be the judges a la Paula and Simon (or soon-to-be J-Lo and Steven) since we’re big on the whole DIY thing and working with everyday household items is our idea of a good time. No words, people. We had no words.
They even gave us a little American Idol-ish desk:
And added this blush-inducing subtitle below our names. Insanity.
Nate even invited us on stage to demo of a few fun DIY projects using items from the crate.
But back to how we found ourselves standing on stage with Nate. The day after we received that unbelievable invitation to be on the show, we were on a plane to NYC. Yes, it really does move that fast. It was Clara’s first flight ever, and thankfully she slept like a champ (we intentionally timed our departure after her bedtime in the hope that she’d lay low- and hallelujah it worked).
We arrived at LaGuardia and got picked up by a fancy limo service. Yeah, we’re those dorks who took a picture of the sign with our names on it. Guilty as charged (or GAC as they say on Cougar Town).
It was around 11:30pm when we finally got to our hotel. They generously put us up at the Flatotel– where the contestants have lived on shows like Project Runway and America’s Next Top Model (holy Tyra Banks, Batman). And look how cute the beanette looks in a big girl bed (though she actually slept in the crib they sweetly provided).
In the morning we were up at 5:30-ish. We had to be at the studio by 7:15 and we could hardly sleep due to nerves, excitement, and I-get-to-meet-Nate mania. But we did take a moment to enjoy the view (we were in an awesome corner room with two amazing city views) before we headed off to our morning taping.
By around 7:30 we were settled in the green room, where my mom (who lives in NY) met us to play babysitter while we got our Nate Berkus on. It was actually the first time we had an official “babysitter” since Clara’s birth five months ago. So even though we would only be gone for a few hours of rehearsing and taping I was totally that person. You know, the nutjob mom who spouts off info like “if she seems tired she likes to be held like this, and she likes when you rub her back like this, and then she might want to stand so hold her like this, and then she might want to read a book but only for a few minutes…” Of course everything was fine and my mom didn’t need the ridiculous Clara crash course at all. And look how cute our offspring looks on the almost baby-sized settee in our private green room (complete with fresh eats and flowers). Seriously, who did they think we were? We would have been happy to hang out in a cardboard box.
Then it was time to get our faces on. Yep, even John got powdered up. And look how much makeup it takes to make me TV ready. See all that stuff in the foreground? I needed it all. The two makeup & hair gals were awesome (there was even one named Sherry, spelled my way) and they regaled us with tales of making people beautiful on soap opera sets and movie lots.
And as if the day weren’t awesome enough, then we ran into Mrs. Limestone who was also scheduled to be featured in the same show (read more about how she ended up on another episode here). It was so amazing to meet her after years of being virtual blog buddies. And she was just as beautiful and sweet in person. Her hubby was awesome too. And of course they killed it on the show, eliciting tons of well deserved oohs and aahs when they showed a few of their jaw-dropping before and after house pics.
We don’t have any first-hand pictures beyond this because we weren’t allowed to take photos in the studio. But after a quick rehearsal, a speedy make-up touch-up, a last minute Clara feeding, and some mic-age we walked out there and taped the show. They don’t post full episodes online, but here’s a clip of us doing our little ditty about using unconventional items for quick home makeovers (yes, I do scream “pickle jars”):
And here’s a clip of the design challengers revealing their final rooms (and us judging the results):
Here’s where I’ll go off on a vain rant. I also learned that when on TV I should follow the FIB rule (FIB= fitted is better). I don’t know why I thought a bright red flowy shirt was the way to go, but after I caught a glimpse of myself in the monitor I knew I made a mistake. I giant red lollypop-esque mistake. So to any other self-conscious not-quite-back-to-your-pre-baby-body moms out there I offer this advice: flowy isn’t good. Unless the body shape you’re going for is round (and you want your aunt to call and ask if Clara is getting a brother or sister). So now I know. But on the bright side, in the looking-crazy department, I felt like I did my creepy perma-smile thing and clapped a little too enthusiastically, but overall it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Most times I could be found just gazing at Nate…
… and waving my hands around wildly (it looks like I’m yelling at one of the contestants here but I promise I was nice).
But enough self-dissection. Back to the story. It was an out of body experience. Words can’t describe how funny, gracious, and amazing Nate was. Not only did he personally compliment our house and our design sense on and off camera (at one point I felt like I was melting into a happy little puddle on the floor) but he gave us a whole new respect for how hard the whole TV thing is. He didn’t just have to master basics like how to read a teleprompter, think on his feet, and keep the audience engaged, he also had to memorize which camera to look at while delivering each segment (and there were at least 6 cameras in different locations and positions). Sometimes it felt more like a choreographed dance than a show. Mad props to Nate Dog.
And did I mention we got pretty chummy onstage? I mean, check out how close our hands got in this shot of us discussing the merits of burlap.
We had barely finished recording our last segment when a producer whisked us off set and told us we had to run to catch our flight (they graciously booked us on the earliest one possible so we could make it back to Richmond just in time to entertain Katie, Jeremy, and Will Bower who were spending the weekend with us. We ran out so quickly we barely had time to geekily snag the paper placard from our green room door. And it’s only a coincidence that we snapped this photo with it in front of NYC’s very own Home Depot as we sped sat in traffic on the way to the airport.
Despite all the traffic we had plenty of time to kill at the gate, which was quite entertaining for Clara since she was more awake for this trip to the airport than the one the night before. Look at that TV ready smile. Too bad she didn’t get to be the third judge (although I doubt her squeals and dribbles would be as adorable to everyone else as they are to us).
And since we were traveling during the day this time, she not only squeezed in a nice quick nap on the plane, but also enjoyed some alert time to look out the window and soak up the view. We are SO GRATEFUL that Clara’s first two plane trips were so smooth. We feared the zip-in-zip-out plan might throw her off and result in a very sad baby indeed, but she’s such a great little travel buddy. Just happy to go with the flow and see new things.
Anyway, happily our little family of three made it home just in time for the arrival of the Bowers. And boy was Burger happy to see us (thankfully John’s sister Emily fed, snuggled, and pottied him while we were gone, just like she did when we were in the hospital with Clara).
So that’s the story of flying to NYC on a day’s notice and returning within 22 hours of leaving. In fact we both woke up on Saturday morning and had the same though: was that all a dream? Were we really in NYC the morning before? We didn’t really believe it until we saw the episode yesterday. Turns out it really happened. Somebody pinch slap me.
All images and video clips of the show, courtesy of thenateshow.com.
MrsLimestone says
You guys were fabulous! Glad you enjoyed your worldwind trip. It was so great to meet you.
Thanks so much for the mention.
How did I miss that your mom lives in NY? I just assumed they flew her out here with you to watch Clara.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks! You were awesome right back. And we can’t imagine how much more awesome you must have been the second time around. As for my mom, she lives in Manhasset and works in the city all the time (she’s an attorney) so we were so lucky to have her on hand for babysitting duty!
xo,
s
Kelly says
I already posted on FB how great you guys did. I think your shirt was pretty. You are so tiny! I didn’t realize John was so much taller than you! :O) What an awesome opportunity! Thanks for sharing your Nate Adventure!
Kelly
Lisa says
Wow, you guys were staying right across the street from my office! Sorry I didn’t get to “meet” you during your visit! Looks like the show was fun, hoping I can watch from my home computer since video clips are blocked at my office.
Cavan McCarthy says
Is the show going to air again? I’m so sorry I missed it and what to see the whole thing!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Cavan,
We’re sure it’ll probably rerun. Maybe check your local listings and look for the “Nate’s Design Crate” description? Good luck!
xo,
s
Kaity says
You guys are truly rock stars! Not only did you get to be on TV (on Nate Berkus no less), you took the time to answer a question I had on a blog post from 2009.
Thanks so much for the inspiration and for all you do!
Brianne says
“This Pretty Much Made Our Year”… aside from having your lovely daughter, of course (wink, wink)!!
As a fellow everyday ponytail wearing girl, I love your hair in a ponytail. You have beautiful eyes and they are really seen best with your hair up. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, the birth of Clara was a pretty important event too!
xo,
s
Carmel @ our fifth house says
Great job guys! You looked so natural on TV- like you do it all the time- like it was just another day in the life! I’m seeing a TV show in your future for sure!
Congrats! Seriously, Sherry the fact that you were able to stand next to Nate and not just stammer and stare well, let’s just say I’m impressed- I’m just gonna come out and say it – YOU GO GIRL!
candace @ thecandace.com says
OhMyGawd – awesome!!!!! Congrats and great job!!!
Morgan @ PepperDesignBlog.com says
Wow wow! Congrats you two and great job on the taping! You guys did AWESOME!
Lonely Wife Project says
Sherry you’re the cutest! You guys were fabulous. Congrats!
Angela A says
I was so excited to see you guys!! Congratulations!! Sherry you looked great! And you’re such a great writer. It was so fun to read this post!
Brittany says
Sherry, I totally feel your pain in the post-baby bod department…Spanx is my new best friend these days, and I NEVER used ’em before…
BUT you looked great! You guys are such naturals on camera, by the way – how did you not spaz out/get crazy camera fright?!
YoungHouseLove says
I was totally spazzing out and jumping out of my skin the whole time- but somehow it felt a lot worse in my head! Whew.
xo,
s
Emily says
Exciting!
My daughter Rosemary is also 5 months and I just noticed last night the small bald spot on the back of her head from sleeping on her back. I have to admit I am a bit relieved to see that Clara is sporting the same look. I’m sure the hair will grow back in, right? Right?….
YoungHouseLove says
We’re sure hoping it will someday!
xo,
s
Barbara says
Wow, 241 comments here already! Not surprised. :)
First, this blog post was so awesome, it restored my faith that good things really do happen to good people. Every one of us here can sense that you guys are so kind, thoughtful, helpful, etc. etc. – and to know that something like this can happen, out of the blue? Truly fantastic! I am THRILLED (without even knowing you!) that you had this dream actually come true. Huge congrats!
I saw the whole show and trust me, you were both cute as buttons!! Nate is one smart cookie inviting you – clearly the man knows talent when he sees it. (plus, I can now secretly pat myself on the back knowing that my fav blog is also one of Nate’s – to quote Sherry, woo to the hoo)
Speaking of Sherry, you are GORGEOUS! And your red flowy shirt was gorgeous too!! We’ll have no more of this putting yourself down. Both of you were completely adorable, and totally surpassed any idea I had of how cool you might be. And I’m betting that this won’t be the last time you hear from his Incredible-Wavy-Hairedness either. Again, the man knows a good thing when he sees it.
Finally, what a tremendous gift to have had Clara’s first plane adventure be because of The Nate Show!!! The child is cuter than a bug’s ear! What an awesome traveller she is. Just coolness all over the place.
So happy for you both. (plus, I think I finally cleared my tub clog, so if you hear cheering, it’s me, all the way from Ontario) Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
ps – props to Burger for holding down the fort.
YoungHouseLove says
Yay Barbara! We’re so happy to hear about your tub clog victory! So many reasons to celebrate.
xo,
s
Caroline says
WOO to the HOO for you guys! Congrats, and you deserved every second of it.
Clara is adorable, and Sherry, you look AWESOME. John is one lucky man. ;)
Amy L. says
AWESOME job you two! Sherry, you’re being WAY to hard on yourself girl. You looked FAB! And both of you seemed 100% comfortable on camera, like you’ve been doing it for years. I especially love the little banter during the judging (when John said, “I usually agree with my wife…” and Sherry said “No you don’t!” ) Ha! That was totally cute. Did you plan that or was that just off the cuff?
YoungHouseLove says
That was off the cuff. What can we say, disagreeing comes naturally to us! Haha.
xo,
s
Jess @ Reclaimed Marketplace says
You guys did soo great!! I think your shirt looked cute by the way! You were both so clear and comfortable! I loved your ideas and was cheering for you both from the family room! I hear ya on how gracious and wonderful Nate was! I was so thankful for his down to earth personality otherwise I probably would have fainted knowing he had spent the day at our house looking through cupboards and decorating! Yikes!
Barbara says
lol I felt powerful! Thank you so much for having all those clog-busting tips in one place – seriously useful!!
ps: I totally did the impromptu bathroom victory dance too. :)
Ashley says
Sherry, you looked beutiful and you both did great! I was showing a co-worker your blog and she thought the picture of your hand and Nate’s hand was hillarious!!
kim says
Oh. My. Word!!! I have to dvr the Nate Berkus Show because of work and when I got home and saw you guys on there….my mouth dropped so far! lol I had to rewind(like I wouldn’t be seeing you the rest of the show)to be sure it was you! You were both amazing!! Your blog is by far the best DIY blog ever!!! :)
Pam Gereau says
Thanks you guys for letting us live vicariously thru you. That looked like a blast!
On another note (and I’ve been wanting to say this for the last few months-I hope it’s okay I have): A huge thank you to you Sherry for being such a positive nursing-mom-role-model to the internet. As a former nursing mom of three kids as well as an RN and proponent of breastfeeding, I have to say you and Clara couldn’t be a better example of a successful nursing couple. I also love how you talk about it like it’s normal and “second nature.”
ps: You look great in red and looked really great on the show.
Kara says
SO exciting- congratulations DIY experts! :)
Roeshel says
Congratulations! This the first I’ve had a chance to comment but I’m so excited for the two of you! Thank you for showing the clips since I can’t watch it myself. It’s great to see a little behind the scenes and hear what Nate is like in person! I think you both did a fantastic job! Loved what I could see!
Wendy Mitchell says
I thought you guys were great–and I thought you were darling, Sherry!
Nadine says
Just to reassure you, from the pictures you’ve posted, I think you looked great in your red top!
I discovered your blog quite recently and I now follow it with admiration. Congratulations for all the hard work to both of you.
Nadine (from France)
Courtney McIlwain says
I saw the show. Yall were so great!!!! Congratulations!!!
Melissa says
Congratulations John & Sherry!!!
Sherry, you looked GORGEOUS!! You & John are naturals on television. You 2 have amazing personalities & loads of talent to boot! I hope to see you more on tv in the future, I love it!!! =)
Michelle says
Hey Sherry and John! Long time reader, first time poster.
I haven’t had a chance to watch the clips from the show yet, but I’m sure that you guys were awesome.
I really just wanted to share my love for the Flatotel. I knew where you had stayed before I even read the text because of the picture you posted of their fabulous bed. I stayed there for the first time last year (at New Year’s none-the-less) and loved the experience. Pretty sure I’ll be staying there again the next time I’m in NYC. Great hotel with attentive staff, huge rooms and a fantastic location.
Caroline Porter says
This post cracked me up! Sherry, I loved your top and thought you both looked wonderful. :)
My mom and I might actually have a new favorite show, as we’d never seen The Nate Show before you guys were on it…awesome stuff! I loved the “nail head” trim on the picture frame and what Nate did with it on the lamp…I have push pins sitting all over the place AND a plain lampshade that I’ve actually been meaning to do something with, so perhaps that could do the trick.
Thanks, you DIY experts! Loved the show and loved you guys on it! I hope he has you on again if he does more of those challenges!
Jennifer says
Congratulations YHL!! You two made it look so easy to be a guest on The Nate Berkus Show.
By the way, you BOTH looked great. Sherry, no worries, you were beautiful as always.
I do wish they could have worked Clara and Burger in:D
Take care!
melissa says
Great job on the show!
I have been racking my brain to figure out why Mrs. Limestone looked so familiar and it finally hit me…back in 2001-2002 we were both planning our weddings and we were message board ‘friends’ on a NY wedding planning site. AHHH I am so happy to see how successful she has become! She started her invitation business back then too, and I always admired her talent!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny! It’s such a small world! She was so nice- we’re so glad we ran into her there!
xo,
s
Charlotte says
Wow, such an amazing experience for you!!!
I think you guys belong on T.V. …you totally need your own show. And Sherry, you looked great! Glad everything went smoothly, and I’m glad Nate is as nice in person as he seems :) Totally share your Nate obsession!
jessica says
I totally dvr-ed the show the minute you posted about it, and I watched it at like 10:30 last night…you guys were great! What an amazing experience. I’m so amazed that documenting your house transformation has turned into (what seems to me, anyway) such incredible lives filled with super cool opportunities.
And I agree…you both looked fabulous :)
Janell Beals says
Loved watching you two, you were adorable! Fun recap, and you had the same green room I did, as I see by the photo of Clara sitting on the green settee! I’m amazed she went with you, now that was adventurous of you! Janell
Lindsay says
Great job guys! My husband thought I was creepy recognizing the back of your heads in the audience when the show first came on! What can I say – it’s a younghouselove thing!
It was fun seeing you guys on big time tv!
Pickle Jars!! :)
Lorie says
So does Nate read your blog???? That would be very cool!
YoungHouseLove says
He mentioned that he found us through our blog, so the fact that he came across our site and thought we were deserving of “design judge” status is absolutely mind blowing. I have a feeling he’s a bit too busy to be a regular reader, but we’re just thrilled he found us!
xo,
s
Katie says
Congrats! I saw the episode and thought y’all did a great job! Perfectly sweet, knowledgeable, and energetic!
anna see says
I watched this last night! LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it! Is it crazy to have felt like I “know” 2 famous people!???
Catherine says
Congrats!
Did y’all get an idea of what you were going to do beforehand? Did you come up with the crafts? You were awesome!
YoungHouseLove says
They talked through our little DIY segment on stage the morning we flew out so we had a chance to brainstorm ideas for a few hours (and the show’s art department decided which ones they wanted us to do on the show). It was amazing to learn how many people are hard at work behinds the scenes of a show like Nate’s!
xo,
s
Alissa says
What a fun retelling of your day! Thanks for sharing!!
Barbara says
Saw it, LOVED it! Was so excited for you both, and for me, cause I “know” you…LOL
Rebecca @ the lil house that could says
Okay a couple of thoughts…
a) I usually read while at work and can’t watch the videos, so part of me is like, they move and speak?! ;)
b) I made a specific call to my husband who was home yesterday to have him dvr this and he forgot :( so thanks for posting this!
c) Clara is adorable. She stole Nate’s thunder in those photos
d) C&B gift cards in large sums?? Where do I sign up for this show segment?!
e) Finally, awesome job guys… You deserved an entire episode!!
Connie says
Yayyyyyyyyyy! You guys are offical celebrities to someone else besides me. LOL! I’m so proud of you guys. You totally deserve it! Its great to see that Nate admires you as well as the rest of us. I love Nate Berkus! I’ve been a fan for years. And now, my three favorite people have finally met.I can’t wait to see whats next.
Melissa says
I was SOOOOOO excited to see you guys on the show yesterday. I DVR the Nate Show each day and even though I didn’t get home until 10:30 last night, I stayed up to watch the show. You both did a great job and it’s so nice to have “DIY experts” like both of you on the show. Congrats!
Maggie says
Hi guys!
You were both AWESOME. The top looked great and Nate was obviously as impressed with your design sense as all of us loyal youngster fans are!
Doing the Happy Dance!!! (which seems to be a very loooooong conga line with thousands of readers in it!)
Tania says
This is awesome! Congrats on a great job. You both looked great and were so at ease on camera! You’ll have your own show in no time!
Heidi J says
No worries. You both did great. Nate is adorable and does incredible makeovers and he’s so inspiring. Congratulations!
PS. AND you know he’s going to read your post don’t you? :)
Natalie says
You guys did great!!
kelly branderhorst says
Whoopee you guys! Nice job :) I love that you gave your mom the crazy “how to raise my child while I’m out of the room for 30 minutes” speech! I’ve done the same exact thing with my daughter…I promise you’ll relax more with all that after another baby ;)And I just had to laugh at the fact that Sherry said “Absolutely!” several times on the show. I have a twice yearly children’s consignment sale, and every time we get any kind of new coverage…I always end up saying, “Absolutely!!” to almost everthing. My biz partner always pokes fun at me for it :) Congrats again – you two deserve it!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, yeah that and “Pickle jars!!!” should be my new catch phrases.
xo,
s
Mel says
I missed the show so thanks for posting clips!
– OMG. You are famous now! Yay!
– Sherry you are stunning. Like Megan Fox, Angelina Jolie stunning. Call me jealous. But I agree about the red shirt. :(
– You both are so very natural on TV. You should do more of this TV thing.
– I’ve been reading your blog since 07 or 08 (can’t remember…) and I’m so happy for the two (now 3) of you and all of your successes.
– Finally, Nate’s idea to put push pins around a lampshade just seems like a scrapped hand waiting to happen. Did that make sense to you guys when he was demoing it or were you secretly thinking “this is not a Clara-proof idea….”?
Congrats again!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Mel,
I think he was more demonstrating that for the competitors as something they could do to embellish their rooms as opposed to suggesting that people really do it at home (a lot of the things they were doing weren’t quite perfect for real-life (like stapling burlap fabric to the wall to make curtains). The man can definitely think on his feet.
xo,
s