In January of last year (2022), we were thrilled when Andrea Caughey contacted us from the Meredith Corporation to say they wanted to showcase our garden shed and other handcrafted projects in their magazines.

At first, we couldn't believe it! But after a few emails and phone calls, we got to work preparing our barn and garden for the photo shoot.

In July we welcomed stylist Janna Lufkin and photographer John Granen to our home for a three-day photoshoot.

It was super fun collecting flowers from our garden, props from my supply of thrifted treasures, and styling our garden shed.

It was a true collaboration!

Watching John and Janna work was an incredible experience. These professionals are masters of their craft.

What made this entire experience truly enjoyable was that it wasn't just a strict, business-like relationship. Janna and John were both lovely people and we had such a fun time working with them.

I was fortunate to shadow and assist them during the shoot and I learned a ton!

Prior to the shoot, Janna asked if we had a model for our homemade child's potting bench. And of course, we invited our grandson, Otto, to be the model.

The gardening aspect wasn't quite as easy as the photoshoot. With an unusual Spring that included a freak snowstorm in the middle of April and non-stop rainfall with cool temperatures, we had our work cut out for us preparing the garden.

But we persevered …I planted and pulled things out and replanted to get the timing just right.

…and…just before the photoshoot we had more challenges with unexpected high temperatures that required sun shades to keep the garden looking healthy.

Surprisingly we were able to achieve the goal in spite of the challenging weather!

I have to say that gardening for fun and gardening with a photo deadline are two very different things!

When we were finished photographing the garden and garden shed we moved into the barn.

We styled the mail cabinet.

I got some snuggles from our model.

And we set up a shot featuring a collection of enamel coffee pots filled with garden flowers.

Once the photoshoot was complete, we worked with writer Sarah Halverson to create the accompanying article. She called to chat with us several times, and we gave her descriptions of each of the chosen images.

We truly enjoyed the entire process from start to finish, and are honored that Andrea reached out to us.

It's been an incredible experience and we're grateful for the opportunity to share some of the behind the scenes with all of you!

You can find Country Home Magazine Summer 2023 issue here.