Lots of people have been asking how I got my necklace published in Better Homes and Gardens and so I thought writing a post would be the best way to give you the whole story.
So in case you were wondering…
Back in July, I was on a little family vacation out in the boonies (not really, but it felt that way since I am so used to city livin’) somewhat removed from society and I got an Etsy convo from Mary Andrews (merchandising admin at Etsy) and she asked if I would be interested in submitting some necklaces to “potentially” be featured in the november issue of BHG for the story “simply handmade.”
“OMG OMG OMG! Me?! NO WAY?!” I shouted.
Of course they needed me to send the stuff out the next day in order for it to be there in time…
“OH THE STRESS!” I shouted.
But, oh yeah duh, I never leave my box of threads home, and just by chance I happened to have a few pendants with me.
“I CAN! I CAN! Of course I want to! Sign me up, Mary!” I shouted.
So I wrote back a big fat HECK YEAH and she put me in contact with the editor for the story. We went back and fourth a few times and she told me exactly what they wanted and sent me a color chart so I could match colors for the spread.
“OH MY GOODNESS I CAN’T BELIEVE I ACTUALLY HAVE THESE COLORS OF FABRIC WITH ME!” I shouted.
So far, so good. I knew I could at least accomplish making the pendants.
“QUICK! DAD! HELP!” I shouted. “I NEED A CHAIN TO PUT THESE ON!”
And so we went off in search of a jewerly store. $30 later, chain obtained.
“BUT I HAVE NO BUSINESS CARDS OR PRINTER TO WRITE OUT A LETTER!” I shouted.
I emptied out my suitcase and my bag and all my pockets and my mom’s wallet and my mom’s bag and any other place a Merriweather business card might be hiding and found one! One! That’s all I needed.
Sat down and hand wrote a little letter and all the info they requested and DIYed a somewhat cute wrap job with the limited materials I had and sighed in relief.
“BUT DAD! HOW WILL I SHIP IT THERE IN TIME!” I shouted.
And so we went off in search of a FedEx store. No FedEx store for hours.
“WHAT ABOUT UPS!” I shouted.
UPS had a location closer to us! Score city!
“OMG I CAN’T BELIEVE I AM SENDING THINGS TO BHG!” I shouted.
$29 later, necklaces and handwritten info are on their way to BHG and we went back to the beach.
Smiles all around.
But, at this point it was still just a “potential” feature. A few weeks later, I realized I would need to stock up on supplies *fingers crossed* if the necklaces made the cut, so I wrote to the editor and she said I was in!! Yippee!!
A couple weeks after that, they sent me a proof of the spread so I could see it all and it looked so pretty!
And the rest is history! My necklaces returned back to be safely and the feature was published. I’m so thrilled and thankful that my creations are featured in a magazine that people I know are subscribed to! A magazine that my mom used to give me to cut up (after she read it all of course!) to use for decoupage when I was younger. Crazytown. Still pretty amazed actually.
So crazy.
Big sigh of relief.
Hello hello! Thanks for stopping by! This is where I come to report about the good, the very good and the sometimes strange experiences of being a crafty entrepreneur.
total congrats! that is an awesome story
So awesome to hear the behind the scenes story! Can’t wait to get my copy of this edition! Big Congrats Girl
Thanks Priscilla!
This story is so adorable, your parents seem like the best! yay you!!
Haha thank you! yes they are!
Congratulations, how exciting!! Thanks for sharing the story!
Thanks Rory, you’re so welcome!
That’s very cool! Glad it all worked out for you! Congratulations!
Thanks Girl!
WOW that’s great!! Congrats!!
Thanks Karrie!
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo freakin’ cool!
Thank you friend!
Amazing. I love all the Yelling and seems like it was all well worth it. I especially like the moments of Dad running around with you. Aren’t dads amazing.
haha yes, i mean, of course it sounds more comical here but i guess it was pretty funny! lol Yes my dad is the best!
Woo-hoo!!! Congrats! Thanks for sharing the story!
Thank you! And you are welcome!
What a HUGE relief you were able to get your hands on everything you needed! Vacation would have never been the same again.
Congrats, Danielle!
Haha yes, so true! I would be afraid to go anywhere ever again without my arsenal of craft tools! Thank you faith!
Congratulations! That’s such great news!
Thanks Leslie!
It was so stressful….but now that I read it, we were a little funny!! Yes, Danielle has an amazing Dad who will go to the end of the earth for her (and all of us!) Blessed family. It was all worth it though, as she was so excited to see her work in the mag!!! So proud of you, my merri daughter! xo
Yes it was funny i guess. because we were so far removed from the civilized world. And yes I have the best parents ever
fantastic!!! so happy for you!
Thank you thank you!
How totally wonderful for you! It may not have seemed like it at the time, but I think what you went through with your family sharing in the excitement is the very best part! Thanks so much for sharing the “behind the scenes”.
Thank you Cynthia! I think you might be right
OMG Danielle, that is SO awesome! I can’t believe how amazing it all worked out! Just goes to show it was meant to be! Congrats again!
I was reading BHG, and saw your Etsy shop mentioned, turned to my boyfriend and said “Oh my gosh, this is Danielle, who I met at Gather Here last month!” Congrats, this is very exciting for you!
A-mazing! Thanks for sharing your story! I’m so happy for you & thrilled that I can tell people about it!
congratulations! that is absolutely amazing!!
That is SUCH a fabulous story!! Major congratulations to you! What an awesome accomplishment!
That is awesome!! Recognized it right away when I saw the spread- congrats!!
Congrats Danielle, this is super sweet! It might be obvious and it doesn’t quite flow with the (awesome) narrative of the story but one of the reasons you were featured in Better Homes & Garden is that you make really cool stuff – and have been keeping at it for years.
Keep on truckin’,
Evan
Wow! What a great story
I don’t even know how I found your site….I was googling BHG feature & there you were 