50. Meet an Interior Designer I Admire

Last Thursday, I crossed something really fun off of my 101 in 1001 list. My friend Susannah and I traveled to Waco, Texas, with the intention of attending the Magnolia Fall Show.

The show was hosted by Joanna Gaines, in the farmhouse that she and her husband had just finished renovating. You can follow that process and all of their other renovation adventures on her blog, The Magnolia Mom. Much to my joy, the blog is in the process of being turned into an HGTV show, Fixer Upper. The cameras were there filming the show, which was just surreal more than anything. It seemed weird that we could possibly be around that world! The show was essentially a sale of tons of wonderful home goodies, plus there was the added bonus of the fact that we could check out the beautiful house. I'm literally dying to see how they decorate now that the renovation process is nearing it's end. I got so much inspiration from their property, and I hope you do too!

We drove through the gate and I immediately fell in love with this sign. It's part of our dream to one day build our dream house down the road on my in-law's property, Strader Farms. So clearly now I want a sign like this. :)

When we were arrived, we were SO taken aback by the large crowd. None of the pictures that I snapped really communicate how many people were there. The sight of the parking situation stressed us out... we had our eyes on a few specific items. More on that later.. :) Take a moment to swoon at the sight of the farmhouse. I love the tin roof and the wood beams and the white. Ahhh, the white. Y'all know I love my neutrals.

We walked in the door and this is what we saw. BA-BOOM! HGTV. Getting their film on. We were literally cornered behind this filming and finally decided to slip past and search through the goodies.

Here are a few photos, stolen from @themagnoliamom on Instagram, of a few of the corners that were set up as the shop before we got there.

Now, we literally could barely move. The show was a huge success- and there were decor lovin ladies EVERYWHERE. It was fun and exciting, but we REALLY wanted to get "Joy" signs.. pictured above. (A bunch of the other things in the photos we never actually saw! We walked into a side room and snagged the very last two in sight... right after several ladies approached us asking where we found them and we heard people asking. I felt like a mighty warrior! The Joys brought us Joy. I also snagged one of the sparkly trees, a small pinecone wreath, and a wooden horse (under the white table in the photo above.. it's SO Restoration Hardware!)

After getting our signs, and a few other things.. we just focused on exploring. I'm in love with this hanging tray setup. Wouldn't that be so fun to do for a party in your home or something? One day, I will shamelessly deny my children Chuck-E-Cheese birthday parties. Entertaining in the home is too much fun! :)

I was obsessed with all of the old doors that Joanna used throughout the space. She is the master of blending old and new.

We made ourselves right at home.. :)

The outdoor spaces were just as inspirational and lovely as the indoor... I loved it! I'm officially prepared to grant my husband's wish of having chickens after seeing their adorable coop set up. Plus the chickens running around were actually really really fun!

Before we came to the show, I knew that crossing off #50 wasn't guaranteed, I may not get a moment to meet Joanna.. but it just kind of happened. I quickly told her about my list and how much I admired her incredible style.. she had the warmest and kindest personality. As much as I really do love Joanna's style, I am even more inspired by her heart for the home and for Christ. Since getting married last year, I've been so passionate about how much the atmosphere of the home really sets a tone for our little family, and for those who enter. I love reading posts like this from Joanna, explaining that from a more experienced position in life. She was truly a delight and I am now BEAMING with excitement for Fixer Upper on HGTV!

We LOVED our inspirational and fun trip to Magnolia Farms. We felt so welcomed and I'm now officially in the Christmas spirit... oops. :)

What do y'all think? What inspired you from the farmhouse?

And because this post didn't have enough photos already, I thought I'd share a quick preview of our Christmas card photo shoot this weekend. Our amazing photographer had them all edited and ready the night of our shoot. Talk about perks of being friends with the photographer! Love you, Katherine!