Show & Tell: My Work in Storage Magazine!

I had a euphoric experience in the Wal-mart checkout.  (Never thought I'd ever find myself typing that... haha.)  I turned to look at my favorite part of any store: the magazine stand.  And there it was. The Spring 2012 issue of Storage magazine in all its glossy glory.  I squealed in delight and snatched it up, flipping through the pages eagerly.

So why did I flip out in the checkout, you ask?  Well, I spent this past summer working my dream internship at Meredith Corporation... specifically Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications Do It Yourself and Storage.  Besides all of the writing that I got to do (yay!), I was also given a little taste of my dream job: producing!  I had the awesome experience/challenge/fun of producing for this issue of Storage.

I produced the small set used as the background for the Editor's Letter page.  I was told what exactly the editors were wanting for this page.  Then I had to come up with a concept.  I focused in on the idea of pairing pretty, feminine florals with galvanized metal storage pieces.  Along with the support and opinions of my super supervisors, I picked out everything: the creamy French Provincial desk, the lovely wallpaper, the metal storage pieces, the industrial message board, the mercury glass vase, the old books, the hydrangeas... even all those little details like the sunglasses, items in the jars (buttons, shells, corks, paintbrushes, pencils,), magazine scraps, and twine.  It turned into a fashionable woman's vintage-y, industrial, lovely creative space---showing how storage can be both functional and pretty.  I see a lot of me in this production.  I was able to let a lot of my personal taste and styling capabilities shine through on this project.  I can totally see myself sitting there to blog or write or do a small craft. :)

Then... you can turn the page and see the other major producing project I worked on over the summer!  While the Editor's Letter set basically let me run with designing, the Conquer Paper Pileup set was producing for a specific story.  The editors filled me in on the idea of the story, which focused on paper and file management for families.  I also got to sit in on interviews with the professional organizer Kathy Jenkins, who divulged lots of valuable advice for the story. 

From there, I got to start picking out products and developing the concept of the set we'd use in the story to convey all of the paper de-cluttering tips.  Again, along with input from my supervising editors, I got to put together a stylish home office.   I flipped through paint chips to find that refreshing shade of light blue and looked at flooring samples for that wood floor.  I scoured the internet for a bold orange filing cabinet, handsome desk, big calendar, and perfect chair.  I shopped for or dug through prop closets for all those little details and accessories.  And I got to get my DIY on with some hands-on projects: an adorable little "Snail Mail" kit, cork boards personalized for the kids and the days of the week, and a handy paper sorting tray.

I even got to pick out those kids names---Liam and Sofie! (Too cute, eh?) Those cork boards are now happily at home above my own desk. I used a little ribbon and some stick-on letters to create a nifty division of the weekdays and weekend. 

And I can't tell you how exciting it is to see my name under the story title as producer!!

Couldn't resist zooming in a little.

And that's my handwriting on those paper-sorting labels Pay, Respond, and File.

I've always dreamed of working and writing for magazines, specifically shelter mags.  This internship definitely opened up my eyes to what I reeeeally want to be: an editor and producer!  My dream internship was more than I could have asked for or imagined---it was a taste of my dream job!

Photo taken by Jay Wilde

The photoshoots for both of these projects took place on the last day of my summer internship.  What a great way to end an amazing summer!   I'd helped on shoots all summer, but it was really something to work on one that I'd produced the set for!  Putting it up, setting it all up, taking the photos, and then taking it all down and packing up!  The day flew by.  I was so lucky to have some photos taken on the sets. :) Best. Summer. Ever.

Photo taken by Jay Wilde

I hope you all run out and grab the Spring 2012 issue of Storage off the magazine stands!  It is jam-packed full of beautiful rooms, creative storage projects, and fantastic organization solutions that you can apply to your dorms, apartments, and other small spaces!  (My name's also on page 16 for writing up the captions for a fun story on Hardworking Hangers.)

I wrote for the magazines this past summer, too.  Coming soon, I'll post about that. :)