Dining Room Photo Shoot

Remember the post from back in May when I told you my dining room was getting a little makeover?  Well, below is what it looked like for the photo shoot.  Click here to read more about the project.  The room looks looks different now.  When I get it together and hang something on the wall, I'll post a picture.  Until then, enjoy what it looked like for the photo shoot.

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 My favorite part of the project is the light fixture (buy it here).  Also now that the giant mirror is gone, the room (and the whole first floor) feels bigger.  I have yet to hang anything on the wall.  When I do, I'll post a picture. 

I Love Sophie the Schnauzer

 I have become what I never thought I would - I'm completely obsessed with my dog (read more about Sophie here, here, here, and here).  Sophie Spike Haugo has been a part of our family since July 2008.  She's wonderful.  She makes me happy.  She makes me think of others.  She's made me more compassionate.  Every night, before I go to bed, I take a big breathe, and let it out slowly.  I learned that from Sophie.  She helps me relax.  She gets excited when I'm excited.  I could keep going, but I'll stop.

Anyway, tonight, Sophie was a crazy dog on her walk.  She ran as fast as she could go until she ran out of leash, then would fiercely sniff the grass until I caught up with her...and the cycle kept repeating.  Now, she's passed out on the sofa across the room from me (apparently she wanted to stretch out).  However, earlier tonight, she was staring at me from the dining room as I played on my computer (see photo below).  I really wish she could talk to me.  I think Sophie has a sarcastic and funny personality, and I can only imagine how that would sound.

I'm sure Sophie was trying to tell me something, I just don't know what it was...

And for your viewing pleasure, here are some of my favorite photos of Sophie.  I have them all at my desk at work...and some of them are framed at home.  I just can't get enough of her!

Sophie on her first day home with us

Sophie's first time outside.  She was afraid of the grass.

Sophie and I bonded when Josh was on a work trip.

Our 2011 Christmas photo

I swear Sophie is smiling here...

Sophie has also had her time in the spotlight (literally).  She modeled for bhg.com a couple of years back.  Here she is next to her pumpkin. You can even download the stencil here.  And here's what I had to say about Sophie back in 2009 (she was in her crazy chewing phase and I thought it would never end!):  Sophie, my schnauzer, chews, destroys, and eats everything in her path -- shoes, rugs, paper, laundry sheets -- she's not picky. She's destroyed cell phones, hairbrushes, wicker baskets, water bottles, and lots of dog toys. She's a sweetheart, though, and oh-so adorable. -- Rachel Haugo, Sophie's owner

Sophie the Schnauzer as a pumpkin

Here is an outtake from the photo shoot.  She just likes to smile!

Smile, Sophie!

Then, back in 2010, Sophie appeared in an editor's photo for my former magazine.

The magazine staff with our dogs

And then, this past spring, Josh brought Sophie downtown for a photo shoot of mine.  Sophie was a little scared of the orange chair, but she was a trooper.  She just really wanted off the rickety chair...and wanted to play with the ball.

What a great-looking coat rack...

So, anyway, this post shows a tiny snippet of my love for Sophie.  I think she's amazing.  I'm so glad she's a part of our family.  Thanks, Jon and Pam, for picking a good dog for us!

Hand Model

On Wednesday morning, I was a hand model.  I love hand modeling.  It's fun to make projects...and it's always a nice perk to get a pretty manicure. 

I was too short, so I had to stand on a cement block.

My view during photography.

Animal Planet

Last week, I was in photography all day Monday and Tuesday working on a pet projects shoot.  The first day, we shot the set without pets.  The second day, we shot 17 dogs, three cats, and two birds.  I'm allergic to most all pets, so I was a little worried about how I would react...especially since I scheduled animals to arrive every half hour from 8:30-4:30 (so if I had a problem, I didn't really have any time to break away and recover).  However, it was a wonderful day.  I even held a parrot.  It far exceeded my expectations.  I kept baby wipes handy so I could wipe down after touching each animal...and my Zyrtek did the job.  It was a good day.

Cosmo, the bird.

Maybe I should be a bird whisperer...

Pretty Pictures

My co-worker, Aaron (pronounced A-ron), takes the coolest pictures.  Last week, I went to Adventureland for a work function, and we took pictures of a lot of similar things, however, his photos looked about 1,000 cooler than mine (I'll write more on that later).  Below are some examples of some of his mad photography skills.  I asked if he could take pictures of old lawn mowers and grills and make them look old and crappy.  He made them look cool.  I don't even know how that's possible.  I guess it's nice to have an eye for that kind of thing.  It's a true talent.

Styling Decisions

When I style a photo shoot, I always hope my shoots don't end up on Catalog Living's site.  Today, I was working on a Christmas story (politically correct version: Holiday story).  It is a front porch scene.  We used fake snow to make it feel like Christmas.  It was also inside the photo studio (even though the photo will look like it's outside).  Here's a picture of the box of fake snow I used.  It smelled like a mix of dirt and laundry detergent.  Not every day is glamorous.  For instance, today I had to make an emergency visit to the nurse's office.  Turns out I'm allergic to dwarf pine trees.  This, I'm convinced, is proof I shouldn't go outside and cements the fact in my head that I'm NOT a tree lover. 

I'm pretty sure this box is from 1989.  It smells about that old.

Photo Ready

Today I had a photo shoot at my house.  My co-worker had been looking for a dining room, and rather than create a set to get the environment he needed, he asked to use my dining room.  The large sliding doors create lots of great natural light, and he knew I'd be a great homeowner.  The best part - they took down the giant mirror that filled the majority of the back wall in the dining room. 

This is a picture of what the room looked like when we first moved in the fall of 2007.

This is before we installed our new floors in January 2009.

The new floors really updated the room.

I painted the walls from green to blue, and then to blue.

And now, the mirror is finally gone.  No more awkward stares while eating dinner.  No more awkward mirror checks mid-conversation.  Thank God.  I'll post photos once the photo shoot is done (and I have made the room my own).  I can't ruin the surprise of the story!  It will appear in the winter 2013 of the magazine.  You'll just have to wait.

Prop boxes

I had to let out the hem in the curtain panels to lengthen them.

And then I hemmed the panels.

Primping the model and the set.

Wade taking photos of photos.

Some of the photography equipment.