Have you heard? Gabrielle of Design Mom wrote a book called Design Mom: How to Live With Kids: A Room-by-Room Guide and it’s beautiful.
I’ve been working with Gabrielle of Design Mom for over three years now. How I started working for her is one of my favorite stories because it totally speaks to putting yourself out there and seeing what happens. In the fall of 2011, I saw a tweet sent out by Gabrielle stating she was looking for contributors. The magic starts here because I am not a big fan of Twitter and, after signing up for an account months before, I had never actually logged into my account. That day I thought I should finally look at it and that’s when I saw the tweet.
Not expecting much and with nothing to lose, I applied. And then forgot about it. A couple months passed until one morning, while laying in bed with Bug and Sweet J, I checked my inbox and there sat an email from Gabrielle asking me to create a DIY for Design Mom. I was thrilled; I got up and jumped on the bed. The children didn’t know what was going on but they were excited with me. It was a happy day.
One post turned to two which turned to three and three years later, my life, work and home, is completely different. I’ve grown as a creator, photographer, maker and blogger, I’ve been featured in magazine, spoken at conferences, contributed to many other places and worked with a number of huge brand names. In working with Gabrielle, I’ve gotten a front row seat to watch a top performer in my field do business and do it well. Working alongside her as afforded me knowledge and experience I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I am forever grateful. And before I get anymore goopy, let’s talk about the book.
As I said, it’s a gorgeous book, from cover to cover. Gabrielle has a expert eye for design and style and is meticulous and I can see that in all aspects of the book from the color combinations, the embossed cover, font choices to page layout. One whose job doesn’t involve those topics might miss the specifics but they too would see a beautiful book.
I love Gabrielle’s written voice. She has a way of telling stories you want to hear and in a way that feels like a good friend is speaking. The book is filled with great practical tips on creating a beautiful home while living with children and I look forward to using a few of the tips when we find our permanent home. And guess what? I actually created and photographed three projects for the book. I have to admit – it’s really cool to see your work in a book. Do you remember this disaster Instagram shot? It happened while I styled and photographed one the projects, seen below. Oye. It still hurts to look at. Haha!
A lot of work when into the Design Mom book and you can tell. It’s approachable, down-to-earth and, I’m going to say it again, beautiful. As she says in the afterword, …making a beautiful, happy home is not about what we don’t have or what we want to buy….It’s about how we spend the days we’re given with this family of ours, and making the home we share a place our kids will love…
So get to making your own!
First photo styled by Seth & Kendra Smoot
*Affiliate links used
