{"id":936,"date":"2024-06-21T00:44:12","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T16:44:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php\/2025\/11\/22\/my-secret-is-out-better-homes-and-gardens-magazine-feature\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T14:42:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T06:42:11","slug":"my-secret-is-out-better-homes-and-gardens-magazine-feature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/?p=936","title":{"rendered":"My Secret Is Out! \u2013 Better Homes and Gardens Magazine Feature"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><span id=\"dpsp-post-content-markup\" data-image-pin-it=\"true\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"mailmunch-forms-before-post\" style=\"display: none !important;\"><\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5898\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20750%20750'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"IMG_4042-2\" width=\"750\" height=\"750\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_4042-2.jpg 750w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_4042-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_4042-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_4042-2-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_4042-2-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_4042-2-500x500.jpg 500w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_4042-2.jpg\">Hey there everyone! \u00a0I\u2019ve been keeping a secret from you all for the past six months, but the cat can finally be let out of the bag! \u00a0I am featured in the I Did It! section of the June issue of Better Homes and Gardens! \u00a0I can\u2019t even begin to tell you how excited I was to be featured. \u00a0It was always I dream I had when I started my blog to be featured somewhere, and I was shocked when I got an email this past December from an editor at BHG. \u00a0Then came the widespread panic. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>The photo shoot will be at my house?!<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>You\u2019re sending a photographer AND a stylist?!<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Where am I going to find spring clothes in January?!<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>How am I going to lose 30 pounds before my photo shoot!?<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">All of these questions started swirling through my head, but I tried to just breathe and roll with it. \u00a0I have had several friends who have been featured before and they all said it was so much fun and there was nothing to worry about. \u00a0I trusted them and tried to not let my nerves get the best of me.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4452\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20420%20630'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"recycled tire planter\" width=\"420\" height=\"630\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/edited-0778.jpg 420w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/edited-0778-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/edited-0778-400x600.jpg 400w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/edited-0778.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The project they wanted to feature was this planter I made from an old tire. \u00a0I mean, <em>I<\/em> thought it was really cool, but I never thought I\u2019d be contacted to be featured with it in a magazine! \u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5900\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20750%20563'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"IMG_2740-1\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_2740-1.jpg 750w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_2740-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_2740-1-400x300.jpg 400w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_2740-1.jpg\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"mailmunch-forms-in-post-middle\" style=\"display: none !important;\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The day before the photo shoot, the photo stylist showed up to introduce himself. \u00a0I was so nervous, but he was so nice and easy to talk to. \u00a0He looked around my courtyard and then left to go shopping to stage the shoot. \u00a0He came back with a whole nursery of plants and flowers, outdoor rugs, lanterns, pots, etc. \u00a0I decided that being a photo stylist had to be the coolest job ever! \u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5899\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20563%20750'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"IMG_2746-4\" width=\"563\" height=\"750\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_2746-4.jpg 563w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_2746-4-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_2746-4-400x533.jpg 400w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 563px) 100vw, 563px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_2746-4.jpg\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5902\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20563%20750'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"IMG_2745-3\" width=\"563\" height=\"750\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_2745-3.jpg 563w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_2745-3-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_2745-3-400x533.jpg 400w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 563px) 100vw, 563px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_2745-3.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The day of the photo shoot was kind of a lot of \u201churry up and wait.\u201d \u00a0Michael (the photo stylist) and Edmund (the photographer) got there mid morning and set up the set for the shoot. \u00a0We picked out the clothes I would wear, which turned out to be items I already owned. \u00a0That got me a big fat \u201cI told you so\u201d from my darling husband who had to listen to me freaking out over the fact that I had nothing to wear for the two weeks leading up to the shoot. \u00a0Of course, of all days, it was cold and windy. \u00a0In reality, it was in the low 60s for the high, but when you\u2019re an Arizona native, that\u2019s cold! \u00a0Edmund shot a couple of photos of me with the planter and sent them off to the editor for approval. \u00a0By the way, it\u2019s REALLY hard to look totally relaxed when it\u2019s freezing and your hair is in your mouth because of the wind. \u00a0I realized at that point that swimsuit models really do have it rough.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Once the editors approved everything, we sat and waited some more for the courtyard to have the perfect amount of shade for the shoot. \u00a0It was a long day. \u00a0Definitely fun, but still a long day. \u00a0When the actual photo shoot started, it went by really fast. \u00a0They shot tons of photos with me posing several different ways and then we were done! \u00a0My whole body felt numb from the cold and I was exhausted from being so worked up and nervous about the whole day, but I wouldn\u2019t trade it for anything. \u00a0It was such a fun, new experience and I met some wonderful people who made the whole thing so much easier.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5905\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20750%20750'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"IMG_4045-1\" width=\"750\" height=\"750\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_4045-1.jpg 750w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_4045-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_4045-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_4045-1-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_4045-1-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_4045-1-500x500.jpg 500w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/addicted2diy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_4045-1.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I already had a subscription to Better Homes and Gardens, so I anxiously awaited the day when my issue would come in the mail. \u00a0I had an idea of when it would arrive and, of course, the mailman showed up obscenely late with the mail that day. \u00a0I\u2019m talking FOUR hours late! \u00a0My grandma had already gotten her issue and had shown everyone in her neighborhood and her hairdresser before I even got my hands on my copy. \u00a0I practically ran to the mailbox when the mailman drove away. \u00a0My boys kindly took a picture of me with the magazine, even though they didn\u2019t really see what the big deal was. \u00a0I opted to not include the one where my oldest was giving me bunny ears;) \u00a0They definitely keep me grounded.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">This whole experience is something I will never forget and I feel so blessed that I got to be a part of it. \u00a0If you haven\u2019t picked up your copy yet, make sure to get yours while they\u2019re on news stands!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"mailmunch-forms-after-post\" style=\"display: none !important;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hey there everyone! \u00a0I\u2019ve been keeping a secret from you all for the past six months, but the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[25],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/936"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=936"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1035,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/936\/revisions\/1035"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}