Our house is featured in Real Living!!!

If you know me or have been reading this blog for quite some time now, then you know that Real Living Magazine has been a constant source of inspiration for me for many, many years. Even before I got married, I was already reading this magazine, just dreaming about the day when I would have my own home and get to decorate it.

When we finally moved into our house 3 years ago, I initially wanted to hire an interior designer. I actually inquired among several decorators whose style I liked from Real Living and even had an ocular at our home to know the costs. Well, it turns out we couldn't afford it then, but I guess it was a blessing in disguise since I was able to fully exercise my creativity and DIY skills to the maximum level.

Hubby and I bought furniture on sale and had some custom made to save on costs. I went online to find inspiration from websites like Houzz and Project Nursery. I discovered so many blogs that inspired me to do my own DIY projects (which I blogged about as well!). I discovered places like Dapitan and Uniwide which were treasure troves for budget conscious people like me.

All these things led us to have the home that we have today, a home that I'm extremely proud of. And what makes it even more special is that I didn't need an interior designer after all! Like the title of the article says, this really was my "PERSONAL PROJECT". And this just proves that you don't need to spend a lot in order to have a nice space. I think it's just a combination of inspiration, imagination, and a little bit of hard work too (hindi madali ang magpaint ng room ha!).

Before, I would just read Real Living magazine, gushing over the beautiful houses page after page. Who would have thought that I would eventually be able to see our own home inside the magazine? I swear, it really is a dream come true!

And look who else made a cameo in the article! So cute!!! :)

If you're curious how our house was chosen, it was all through Instagram. I sometimes post photos of my DIY projects and certain areas of the house and I was surprised when I found a comment from Real Living (@reallivingph) one day saying if I could email them more photos of our home, which I did. And then after a while, they emailed back saying if I would be open to have our home featured in the August issue. Umm, wait a minute let me think about it first... DUH, OF COURSE (with matching jump up and down!!!) ;p

The photoshoot happened mid-June and I have to say that I was so nervous and excited leading up to it because I just wanted everything to be perfect. If you think our house looks this good or clean all the time, well you're wrong hehe. Let's just say major clean-up mode happened 2 days before the shoot. If you have kids, you know how easy it is for a house to get filled up with toys, snacks, and so much clutter! It was stressful but also a good thing since I was forced to majorly organize too hehe. I even ended up scrubbing the walls and doors last minute to remove the kids' drawing marks! Kaloka! ;p

photoshoot in action

Anyway the shoot turned out great! They took a lot of pictures, but some unfortunately didn't make it into the magazine like the main entrance, guest room, and master bathroom. That's why I might just do a house tour series so I can post more photos of the different areas of the house. What do you think? :)

So again, thank you to the Real Living team - Tala and Dagny who directed the shoot, Mike the photographer, and Katherine who interviewed me (would you believe she was the same person who interviewed me before for Miley's feature in Smart Parenting? That interview was done over the phone though so this was the first time we actually met!).

So if you haven't yet, grab a copy of Real Living's August 2015 issue to read more about our humble abode. And if you want a chance to get featured in the magazine, don't forget to use the hashtag #instalivingph on your home photos on Instagram. Who knows, your house could be on the next issue as well. :)