Oh my gosh, how cute is this Airstream? Being an editor and writer for Flea Market Style magazine has been has been a dream job because I got to help concept and write features like this.
I have been an integral part of this print magazine since 2010. (Our 2017 and 2018 covers are shown here.) I am proud to have had a big hand in concepting and producing this home design and decorating publication that is well-written, gorgeous, and filled with inspiration.
I met so many talented creatives while on staff at Country Home magazine, and today I still work with many of them as freelancers.
Byline for “Perfectly Imperfect.”
A sweet couple with an even sweeter story.
Byline for “Light Touch.”
Byline for “Top 10 Vintage Finds,” an annual feature in Flea Market Style.
Some interviews stay with you for years. This one with Dr. Gary Chapman for “Speaking of Love” was one of those.
I wrote the 64-page “Congratulations, Newlyweds” section in this cook book, which was a special edition
of the bestselling Better Homes and Gardens Red Plaid
cook book.
If I had to pick my favorite story of all time to write, “A Drama Queen (With Help From Her Prince Charming) Remodels a Castle” would be it. Beautiful home. Great folks to interview. Plus soap operas!
After the 9/11 attacks, Country Home magazine asked its readers to send in red, white, and blue quilt squares to raise money for charity. It was an inspirational time to be on staff at the magazine. Getting the mail each day was a joy: Over several months, we received 1,325 quilt squares from all
50 states.
Under the direction of my friend and managing editor Lori Blachford, we enlisted volunteers to stitch the squares into quilts, then auctioned them off on eBay. We raised more than $65,000, which was donated to the Uniformed Firefighters’ Association Widows’ and Children’s Fund. One extra-special quilt is on permanent display at
the Pentagon.
This special 2018 Junkovers print magazine is a compilation of the best DIY projects our team had created over the previous eight years for Flea Market Style magazine. It was a blast revisiting some of
our favorites.
Some stories—such as this one—impact me on a fundamental level. The folks I interviewed for “The 2011 Santae Crucis Awards“ were an incredibly inspirational group. Written for the alumni magazine of Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts.
This is my type of camping! Byline for “No Boys Allowed.”
How cool are these projects based on vintage paint-by-number kits? Byline for “Outside the LInes.”
“Portrait of a Portrait Artist” is an online profile of Warren Prosperi written for the Holy Cross alumni magazine. (His studio in Massachusetts was fascinating.) Read it here.
As a military spouse, sister, and sister-in-law, it was my privilege to write “Reporting for Duty,” which featured profiles of
10 current and former members of the U.S. armed forces.
Over the years, I wrote many of the “What’s Hot Now” articles for the antiquing and collection section of this magazine.
I have written for Midwest Living magazine for years. I appreciate that they love words as much as I do, and they make sure they're perfect before anything goes to press.
This byline is for “Holiday Tails," which is a perfect title.
This byline for “About a Girl" introduced me to a creative spirit with the most interesting (and real!) name.
As project manager of Leeza Gibbons Scrapbooking Traditions, I worked directly with Leeza to concept, edit, and produce this 144-page book about the power and fun of scrapbooking to preserve and celebrate memories.
We started an “Artists We Love” section of the magazine, and I loved writing these pieces for each issue. Getting to interview super-creative people about their craft is a privilege.
After developing the concept for this magazine with my graduate-school classmates at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Raising Teens was purchased by Meredith Corporation in 1998. It was thrilling, and the proceeds from the sale funded a “Raising Teens” scholarship at the University. Very cool.
I followed the magazine to Meredith, where I was an integral member of a new-product development team that test-launched a 128-page Raising Teens magazine under the Better Homes and Gardens umbrella with a 250,000
print run.
Even years later, the mention of Raising Teens magazine puts a smile on my face.
Byline for “Diamond in the Rough.”
Byline for “Under the Big Top.”
My first job after graduate school was with Meredith Integrated Marketing (now MXM), a custom publisher in Des Moines, Iowa. I had several terrific mentors there, and I've continued to freelance for them over the years. This byline for “Primed to Buy” was printed in Principal Financial Group’s magazine Plan Ahead, Get Ahead.
I am so proud of my side project, The Strength Behind the Strong. My website offers advice, inspiration, and support for Americans who have friends and family in the military. We tackle everything from the practical (cookies that travel best in care packages) and the patriotic (where to buy flags that have flown over the U.S. Capitol) to the celebratory (welcome-home-from-deployment party ideas). With five people in my immediate family on active duty, it’s a topic that’s near and dear to me. Find us at:
thestrengthbehindthestrong.com
or
facebook.com/thestrengthbehindthestrong.
Byline for “Yours, Mine & Ours.“
For five years I managed the editorial creation and production of MetLife Auto & Home’s magazine, MetLife, Your Life. Custom-published by Meredith Corporation, the three-times-a-year magazine was sent to 500,000 customers and focused on insurance, personal finance, and home and auto safety.
I worked on staff at Country Home magazine for a few years, then did freelance editing and writing for them for several more.
“Thanksgiving at Marble Falls” is one of my favorite articles I wrote for this design and lifestyle publication.
