I was introduced to the Young House Love bloggers by my friend Kristina (in the middle of the pic below) probably 2 years ago. YHL consists of a cute-as-a-button couple from Richmond, VA who have a passion for DIY-ing it on the cheap. They have such a huge following that they were able to quit their day jobs and this blog is now their baby (other than their daughter Clara and doggy Burger) and full-time job. I love the fact that they keep their projects real. There’s none of this “here’s how to redecorate your living room…. but you’re going to need a team of decorators and 5K to do it” kind of stuff. They do their best to keep projects affordable, and more importantly, doable for their blog readers.

John and Sherry Petersik (the couple that is YHL) recently released their first DIY book, and boy is it good. It was one of the very top items on my Christmas wish list. So when we heard that John and Sherry were going on a nationwide book tour, we eagerly awaited their announcement that they were coming to Atlanta… but there was none. Oh, but wait — they added extra dates, and Atlanta was the last stop on the list! Yippee!!! Tara, Kristina, and I registered at Christmas for this signing (set for 2/7/13)… we were just a tad bit excited.

We stood in line for about 1.5 hours in the FREEZING cold (at least we were covered from the rain) — and Tara scored us a spot just 5 deep from the front. High five! I did feel so sorry for those people waiting in the back of the line when we left later that night. That’s dedication.

Being totally stalker-ish and taking photos through the store window while we waited in line. BONUS — Katie Bower and her boyfriend/husband Jeremy showed up, too! She’s a blogger north of the Atlanta area and is also BFFs with Sherry of YHL. So naturally, they’d be here for the Atlanta signing… it was so fun to get to see all of them!

Our “normal” photo with John and Sherry…

This needs an explanation, right? While in line, we decided we wanted to take a funny photo with them as well, but we needed something good to pretend to react to. A couple of us just started watching the thriller TV series “The Following,” about a serial killer who is obsessed with the work of Edgar Allan Poe. Part of the first episode takes place in Richmond, and YHL blogged about it recently, as that is their hometown. See where I’m going with this? So our posed reaction is to a scene in that episode that is quite shocking and terrifying… I’m not going to explain it and ruin the fun for anyone who’s planning on watching the show. I think the fake reactions were a success — especially Sherry’s.

Lots of yummy baked goodness courtesy of  West Egg (one of my favorite brunch spots) which is next door to FLOR, where the signing took place.  I love a good cake pop, especially when it’s filled with red velvet cake!

We dominated the Smilebooth.

Round #1:
The photo in the top right corner was in honor of $her-dog.

Round #2:

Round #3:

Round #4:
A-town down.

My prized signed book! Thanks to John and Sherry for coming to Atlanta to meet all of us — I love your blog and your cute little family. It’s always fun to see what you’re up to each week. You’ve inspired my husband and me to create new things and make our house more fun and personal with each DIY project.