Now this is a pretty office! Ez was out there reading decor8 yesterday and after seeing my yellow living room/reading nook, she decided to create an office in our virtual house. Any other bloggers want to get involved and create a kitchen, bathroom, master bedroom, guest bedroom, or an entryway off of the same theme – yellow and pretty pastels? Here’s the house we’re building so far. :)

Office by Ez of Creature Comforts.

Pretty little living room by me. :)

Anyone want to try a room? Maybe we can pull together an entire house like this, one blogger at a time. I’ve been looking for some creative online exercises to do lately with my fellow bloggers and this would be a fun project to collaborate on. Perhaps I should just nominate others or else some may feel to shy to get involved? Okay then, I challenge Joy to pull together the bedroom, Irene — a kid’s room, Susan — the kitchen, and Victoria to design a bathroom complete with a vintage clawfoot tub. Can Danielle pull together a guest bedroom? And I’d like to see Nicole put together a fancy patio space. Wouldn’t this be a fun project to do once a month in blogland? Hmmm….

[update: I just emailed my blogger friends so let's see if they have the time to do this. For fun, I sent them a little bio about our virtual client. Home owner: Young single mother (cookbook author) with a son living in a 18th century Georgian townhouse in Savannah Georgia approx. 2000 sq ft., 2 floors, 3 bedrooms (one is an office), and a large patio off of the kitchen. She loves to entertain, enjoys pastels and Swedish decor, decorating on somewhat of a budget but she can splurge on one expensive item per room. Loves pattern and feminine touches but can't deal with too much clutter.]

(images from ez and holly)

Would you like to know about my shopping trip with the Boston Globe on Saturday? Since some of you have asked, I’ll give you the scoop. A Globe correspondent and her photographer met up with me in the South End and since the article will focus on decor8 and shopping, my mission was to take them to a few of my favorite home stores. Shopping? Did someone say shopping? Sign me up!

Fresh blooms today from my friend Tammy.

I arrived 20 minutes early (you never want to be late for an interview) and spent that time talking to the shop owner and cruising the store to familiarize myself with all the products since a lot had changed since I was there a few weeks ago. I thought that by the time everyone arrived I’d be a freaking out nervous wreck but just the opposite — I felt so excited and ready to get started when the writer and photographer arrived. I was told to walk the store and talk about products, how to use them in in the home, and answer general questions while the photographer trailed us shooting the whole time. I’m not sure what kicked in, but it was the easiest most natural thing in the world for me to do, and so much fun. Like I had prepared my whole life for that moment. But I hadn’t, it was my first time ever doing something like this so even I was surprised by how second nature it was. All I could imagine was hosting a show taking the audience shopping with me around the world to all my favorite independent stores. Kind of like decor8 only on cable. Hey, a girl can dream. But that vision was one I had as I shopped and it was extremely exciting to play pretend for the day.

Boston Globe photographer

We visited about 5 stores and at each stop when they introduced me, the stores already knew who I was and starting talking about decor8, my trip to Germany, and other things they read here that they’ve enjoyed. It was so nice to learn that local shop owners enjoy reading this blog and use it as a resource to find new talent. Each store we visited welcomed us with open arms. Later in the day, I learned that even the Globe correspondent is a loyal decor8 reader for 1.5 years now. I guess even I sometimes forget the reach of blogs!

At the final store, we spent about 30 minutes on posed shots. Holly on the chair, Holly looking out of the window, Holly standing before the dining table, Holly perched on the end of the bed. It was fun working with a pro directing each pose, especially amidst a busy retail environment. I wasn’t scared at all, just the opposite. I kept thinking about those who read the article and how they’ll be introduced to blogging and will eventually meet not just those I write about, but all the great blogs that I read and support too. I’m sure the photos that run in the paper will reflect the happiness I felt because it was one of those days that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I can’t believe that the girl that who worked a desk job dreaming of how I’d be out on my own doing what I love someday was experiencing this - you know? For me, it was huge.

After the shopping trip it was interview time. The photographer went his way, so we grabbed a table at a local restaurant and then a recording device appeared on the table and it was time to get down to business. I felt totally at ease. The conversation was centered mainly around decor8, blogging, and the community that exists online, along with those that have encouraged and supported decor8, what matters to me and why I do it. Other topics including my background and family life were also discussed, etc. I really appreciated her enthusiasm and energy, it was refreshing and I look forward to reading the article when it runs at the end of the month.

So for those who have emailed and asked me, that was my day. :) I will be taking some time off this afternoon to work on a project, but I’ll be blogging later tonight so I’ll see you soon.

(photos from holly becker for decor8)