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.
Erin says
I’m pining for that new Z Gallerie giraffe head, which would be amazing over your bed! And I’m so sorry for your loss. We sleep under the Z Gallerie moose (whose name is, of course, Bruce) and I don’t know what we’d do without him.
Stevie says
I know that pain of moving things around! When we moved in, we had a hoard of things in our office/guest room. Then I decided I wanted an office/craft room so I moved everything in the guest bedroom. Then we needed a playroom for our 18 month old daughter so moved everything back into the office/craft room. So now Lily has a playroom and I can’t even get the door open in the craft room to make any cutesy decorations. Le sigh.
JR says
Aw… a ceRAMic casualty.
I’m so sorry for your loss! I think he deserves a moment of silence and ram-embrance. After all, he did teach Burger yoga… which I’m sure came in handy during all the recent ram-bunctiousness at home.
What great news re: the book, I really look forward to it. I’m sure all of your hard work will pay off!
LauraC says
Sorry about the ram! Unfortunately, yes we are familiar to broken things around here. Recently our Sophia managed to break two lamps in two weeks! One was an easily replaceable IKEA lamp (she was climbing on the side table) but the one that was tough was the lamp that my aunt and uncle gave me for college graduation years and years ago. It had survived many a move unscratched, but we were installing floating shelves (well the supports) a couple weeks ago and her legs got tangled in the lamp cord. I’m still kind of sick about it b/c I’m pretty sure I’ll never find another shade (it was glass) to fit (the lamp itself was metal and fine). But as my mother used to remind me, they’re just things.
Lauren says
I stepped on a marble recently and broke my pinky toe. Does that count?
Actually it totally serves me right though because the marble in question was stolen from my mother.
Because she recently found the most gorgeous marbles that she displays in a dish on her coffee table and she wouldn’t give me ANY OF THE MARBLES so I’ve just been taking them one at a time, every time I’m at her house.
And…that sounds really evil. I was totally going to give them back after she noticed, promise!
YoungHouseLove says
Ouch! Who knew a marble was so powerful!
-John
Lauren says
Also, meant to say so sorry about your ram. And can’t wait til your book comes out. Pre-ordering fo sho.
Sometimes I just get really caught up with talking about myself.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, no worries Lauren! You’re so sweet!
xo,
s
ali says
Okay, the repainting totally reminds me of that cute movie “50 First Dates” where Drew Barrymore has amnesia from an accident and lives every day exactly the same, ala Groundhog Day, and her dad and brother repaint the garage every night when she goes to sleep so she can then paint it when she wakes up! Glad you are not in an eternal Groundhog Day moment any longer – enjoy the weekend!!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, that sounds like a nightmare! Haven’t seen that movie but may need to add it to our Netflix list!
-John
ali says
yes – please add! Cute date night flick, light and fun – one of Adam Sandler’s “serious-for-him” roles
YoungHouseLove says
Will do!
xo,
s
K (Barking Babymama) says
Okay, I know you’re not even done with book shooting yet, but I am putting in an official request for a post series concept – Maybe you could put together some groups of patterned pillows that look good together, kind of like a mood board but just of 3-4 patterned pillows that all coordinate with each other in different color schemes – you are so great at mixing pillow patterns and I would love some mini-mood boards on that!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds like fun!
xo,
s
Larissa says
Love seeing the behind the scenes pics! Can’t wait for the book! Your hard work is incredible and I am so excited for the rewards coming your way!
It’s funny you posted about how big your living room is. I just went to Ikea last night to get a ribba frame like those you have above Karl. When I saw how big they are in person I said “holy cow! they have 8 of those suckers!” I almost didn’t get one because they’re so big. But I did and I’m so glad. I love it!
Meg@Green Motherhood says
It pains me that he died alone as well. Ha! (loved that.) Does he alteast get a picture in the book for his heroics?
Thinking of ya’ll as you begin to wrap up this crazy adventure (that you puked in the middle of, I mean how are you doing it?!?)
Can’t wait for the book (but I can wait for the fall, because that means Isla June will be 2 and I’m just not ready for THAT yet.)
katieo says
Would you possibly tell me what yellow paint you used in the picture posted above? Thanks! *wish so badly I could see you guys when you come to Portland. Hope you love our city!*
YoungHouseLove says
That’s actually a camel colored paint called Decatur Buff by Ben Moore!
xo,
s
katieo says
AHHH yes! I see, now, on my pc, that it is more camel-like :) it looked like a rich, mustardy/goldeny yellow on my android phone screen :) Thanks for answering, nevertheless!
decoratica says
WOW! I’m not sure I could live with such a mess, it’s giving me shivers! hahaha!
BTW, I never was too much into animal heads on walls, so, I won’t miss your deer.
And, since it’s been long since I last commented, your kitchen looks GREAT! If I had the time, I would love to do a renovation like that and just sit there the rest of my life contemplating it… :D
Happy weekend!
Nicole says
Boo hoo, I’m still not over Mr. Grey. :( I cannot wait until your book is out. You have put so much hard work into it. I know it will be a huge success and you deserve it.
Once again, congratulations! Enjoy every moment.
xxoo
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Nicole!
xo,
s
heather says
wait, hold up. where did you get that white ceramic squirrel from? i have been looking for that exact thing. (i had a cat named squirrel who died last year and i wanted that to honor him. a friend bought me another ceramic white squirrel- despite thinking i was crazy for wanting it- but that was the one i was looking for.)
heather says
sorry i just saw someone else asked you that and you answered. never mind :)
YoungHouseLove says
No worries!
xo,
s
YoungHouseLove says
That’s from West Elm a few years back! He was a gift from John for Christmas 2008 I think!
xo,
s
Kacie @ A Collection of Passions says
Funny, yet tragic. Ramsey will be missed. ;-) Loved this post. Needed a little chuckle this morning.
Kacie
http://www.acollectionofpassions.com/
Wendy says
Can not wait for the book! Such an amazing experience and so happy for you guys! Are you gonna have a book signing, cause you know Richmond ain’t too far from where I live??? ;-) Happy Friday y’all!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, yes, yes! Can’t wait. Will keep you posted!
xo,
s
Kate says
I’m so sorry about the ram! If it makes you feel any better, we were mere minutes away from finishing up a laundry room reno last weekend (inspired by your first house’s laundry room!) when we had a little drill-meets-water-line incident. We lucked out in being able to repair the pipe without a plumber, but what a mess! We’re staring down some drywalling and repainting this weekend to get things back in order. Woot?
YoungHouseLove says
Woot!
xo,
s
Jules says
I get tired out just reading your blog ;) You deserve a relaxing beach vacation now!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Jules! We plan to take one for sure! I can almost feel the sand in my toes…
xo,
s
Kate says
You guys are really just the best. You are my role models for maintaining such a positive attitude and keeping up with this blog even through the complete chaos of the book shoot! So excited to see all the results of your hard work come fall.
Donna says
What’s cool is that you can move furniture around in your home and it works! Can’t wait for the book!
Betty says
Better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all … the risk you take when you have a fetish for ceramics.
High fives for using a super talented local photographer for your project. Can’t wait to see the book!
Katherine says
So the playroom is now considerably smaller since the walls have been repainted over and over.
I give you credit on the constant bed moving exercise. I noticed that you had a bed skirt on that puppy in each shot. I think after moving it more than twice it would have been a bit more naked and simple if it was me doing the moving.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, exactly. The walls are inching in – closer and closer with every coat of paint!
xo,
s
Angela says
Umm…yeah. I think we really need to see John’s rendering of the ram incident. In fact, I’m thinking this could be a great regular part of the blog.
YoungHouseLove says
Bwahahahahah, I agree with you. Off to put in a request!
xo,
s
Robin says
So sorry about Ramsey:( My son and I saw two brass ram head bookends at Goodwill the other day, and I thought of you guys. I told him that we could spray paint them a cool color and he was down for it, but I had zero cash and no debit card. We just went in to browse while my daughter was in ballet. When I returned back to Goodwill the next day, they were gone. Ugh! Speaking of broken items, we break lamps an average of one a month, and my bedroom is a total mess right now. I got the itch to purge my closet and took everything out. I am only 5 months post baby #3 so I can’t decide on what to keep or toss. There are like 6 piles of clothes: 1. Way too little even before pregnancy 2. Fits right now 3. May fit if I loose any more weight 4. What was I thinking when I bought this 5. Maternity clothes and clothes that are too big 6. Too expensive and I will feel guilty if I get rid of because they still fit but I really don’t wear. For some reason, I buy clothes for the lifestyle I think I have, and don’t have enough clothes for the lifestyle I actually live. Crazytown, I know.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man I had that issue with clothes too! It’s so hard when your body is in between baby and not!
xo,
s
Debra Cripps says
I break things so many things that I have a segment on my blog called ‘The Broken Item of the Week’!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- so funny!
xo,
s
tae says
ooh what are you doing with all of the stuff that you’re making for the book shoot once it’s all over? any chance of a yhl sale!?
so glad to hear that you’re going on vacation this year – you two really deserve a nice long break!
YoungHouseLove says
We’re working with the publisher to do a fun auction for charity!
xo,
s
Janice says
I’m exhausted just reading it all! Oh, to be young and energetic again.
I had a big old crash of my own. After buying and returning four lamps in search of the perfect one for the bedside table, not five minutes after declaring that search a success, a lamp in the living room crashes to the floor into a thousand chards, and a new search begins.
Lesson learned – don’t pick lamps up by the top of the harp, as I have done for years.
Gina says
Excited about your book…and oddly proud. I AM older(but not enough unless I was a hussy)for a parental type proud. Maybe it’s because you’re in VA…who knows…but PROUD, I am. Of the book AND how sensible you both are with budgets, raising your daughter, etc.
Kim says
I know you hear this all the time, but seriously – YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!!! How you are keeping all these balls in the air and being sick on top of it is seriously beyond me! You both deserve all these wonderful opportunities because you work EXTREMELY hard for it! So excited and cannot WAIT for the book!!!
Michele says
Moment of silence for Ram. Okay. Now I can ask where you bought those pillows in the picture of the paper manuscript. Are they new…? I love ‘me. Can’t wait for the book!
Michele says
Never mind. Saw the answer in a previous comment :)
YoungHouseLove says
So glad!
xo
s
YoungHouseLove says
They’re actually all old (West Elm and HomeGoods). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lisa@wanderdownpennylane says
So sad about the ram! My condolences. My hubby just broke our candlesticks next to the fireplace (by accident of course) but a little part of me was heartbroken nonetheless.
Good Job on the book! Can’t wait to get it.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, so sorry Lisa!
xo,
s
Michelle says
I know you’ll enjoy getting everything back to normal, whatever that is! Knowing how much you have tackled and accomplished since the year began makes me tired. I need a vacation to rest up after reading about it all! Congrats on the progress.
Michelle says
My birthday is in October… totally putting the book on my birthday wish list! Can’t wait!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! Here’s hoping it’s out on your exact bday.
xo,
s
Marianne says
My condolences re: Ramsey. :) I’m so excited for you guys and your upcoming book! I can’t believe the amount of work you guys are able to do- it’s inspiring! I can’t wait to see it all come together!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Marianne!
xo
s
Brenda says
Can you tell us where you borrowed the headboard for the guest bed that is pictured in your living room?
YoungHouseLove says
That’s from Target!
xo,
s
Diana says
So sorry to hear about Ramsey….I know how you feel. Our pottery bunny fell off the shelf and one of his ears broke off. Now he has a wire sticking out of his head instead; we try to pose him at such an angle that his missing ear is not as noticeable.
Congratulations on finishing and surviving your book shoots!! I bet Clara will miss her new friends once they leave. We’re looking forward to the book in the fall!!
YoungHouseLove says
So glad he lives on!
xo,
s
Amy @ The Button Casa says
So sorry you lost, Ramsey :( I’m so excited to see what’s been happening behind the scenes and can’t wait to see the finished product.
Karyn says
So sorry to hear about Ramsey – hmmm… perhaps he’s earned a book dedication no? I’m glad to hear you made it through the shoot with only one casualty and that Clara did so well (I can’t imagine what my 16 month old would be like in a similar situation). I can’t wait to get my hands on your book, so fall had better hurry up and get here!!
Cheryl says
I’m sorry about the ram, but glad he didn’t pop off the wall while he hung over your bed and you were sleeping. Ouch!! Congrats on getting so much accomplished and running the blog at the same time.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- it was our fault, we hung him very carefully over the bed but not so much over the mantel apparently. Ouch.
xo,
s
Ted says
Oooh….love the sneak peak. Another track mark for the YHL-addicts here. :-) Thanks for the teaser. Now, if you can just DIY a time machine to get us to the fall (with a video tutorial!), you’ll really please your fans!
And your comment about Catherine Zeta-Jones made me think about this fantastic scene from Oceans Twelve: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtK2qyQJcOc&feature=related
Thanks for a great kickoff to the weekend!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- love it!
xo,
s
Case says
Chai. Some caffeine but not a ton, and it will revolutionize your life. Also, it’s Indian/Nepalese/Himalayan! I generally remind myself, when I have a nice sweet cup, that this is what the Dalai Lama drinks. ALSO, also, you can have an excellent time picking out your very own, perfectly-shaped, white ceramic tea pot.
YoungHouseLove says
LOVE CHAI! We actually drink it a lot!
xo,
s
Tamryn says
I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of your book when it is out… i have a spot for it in our home all the way in sunny South Africa.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Tamryn!
xo,
s
Brianne says
Everyday when I read your blog I am DYING to go to Winners / Home Sense (our TJ Maxx equivalent up here in the great white north) and see what amazing finds I can find for our new house that needs some love.
Alas, for budgetary reasons I don’t succomb to the urge, but I tell ya, one day soon I will and I know I’m going to find something pretty awesome. Thanks for the daily inspiration
LauraBC says
Your Ramsey just went to be with his big brother Ramsey in horned heaven. The UNC mascot Ramses died less that a week ago…
http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2012/feb/10/unc-mascot-ramses-found-dead-family-farm-ar-1917167/
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! There’s got to be more to this! Are rams being mysteriously picked off one by one?
xo,
s
Trude says
Awww poor Ram-bo! I’m just glad Burger or Clara weren’t around when The Incident occurred. :) We all can’t wait for fall either – it’s going to be an awesome book tour for sure! I hope you guys have some kind of break scheduled for yourselves after this insanity.
Sarah H. says
My sister got my husband a fancy glass Galileo thermometer for his birthday last year and two weeks after we brought it home, I knocked it over while cleaning and broke it. Wife fail.
Congrats on being done with the photo shoot! I cannot wait to order your book!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw man, so sorry Sarah!
xo,
s
Yulia says
You two are amazing! I don’t know how you guys do it! Even though I love all of your posts, I have refrained from leaving comments lately because I feel like you don’t need to waste your time reading/approving my little comment. But on behalf of all of your loyal readers, I’d like to say “it’s ok to take a day off! Every one else gets to call in sick when they have a stomach virus, and so should you. We’ll still be here, the next day. We promise! WE LOVE YOU!”
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Yulia! We are definitely planning a vacation (we resolved to take one and can’t wait to be on a sandy beach somewhere)!
xo,
s
Jasmine says
Long time Lurker, first time poster! just stopped by to say congrats on getting the book completed!
I think Burger is so cute! he should hang out with my part-time pet, Arista (a little dappled daschund) for the puppy yoga class. LOL.
Can’t wait until the book comes out; its definitely on my list!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh, Arista sounds so sweet. She can come over for a Burger play date any time!
xo,
s
Sonia says
It has been such a pleasure going through your blog, that I am super excited and looking forward to the book. Please hurry up :D
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Sonia!
xo,
s
Cara D says
Can’t wait for the book! Where did you get the pillow that is sitting behind the manuscript? The teal and white one.
YoungHouseLove says
That one is from HomeGoods a while back! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Elizabeth@ wake&gather says
I don’t know what made me think of this but have y’all ever done a “what our lives might be like without the blog” post? What jobs you might have, how different it would be raising Clara? And how progress on your DIY projects would be paced? I’d love to read your suppositions!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that would be fun! I think I’d still be a freelance advertising copywriter and John would still be an account executive (also in advertising). We actually loved our jobs and loved DIY, so we’d probably just DIY as a hobby and work 9-6-ish in advertising here in Richmond!
xo,
s