Launching New Katie Denham Interiors Website and our Book Winner!

I was sitting on pins and needles all weekend......I checked this morning, and it had not happened yet...... I checked this afternoon and it is up and running!

The new and improved Katie Denham Interiors website has officially launched! 

I created my first website in a flurry when I started my own design studio 4 years ago now.  I have been in the design business for such a long time working as the principal designer for other firms, but the recession forced some changes, and I decided to start my own studio. It was scary to start a business in the economic climate we are in right now, but also very exciting. I was very fortunate to have wonderful clients who were with me all of the way...referring new work and remaining good friends. It is hard to believe four years have gone by already. It is cliche to say it, but it really does "seem like yesterday" that I hung my shingle.  When I first started, I really did not have much in the way of photography for a website. It was quick, and honestly a bit rough. So........

I am very excited about the fresh new look and am looking forward to adding new projects in the months to come. There are many details to wrap up before a project is ready to photograph, and I am in the midst of    getting a few projects ready right now. There will also be a few more menu items as things progress as well.

I hope you will stay tuned as things come to fruition!

Many thanks to my very talented website designer!

......................................

Thank you all so very much for reading katiedid!

I look forward to reading your comments every day.

Now....on to the winner of the GIVE AWAY of THIS fabulous design book!

Congratulations to Callie Grayson of the blog, 

Grayson: a Different Shade of Grey!!!!

Hop on over and say "hi" to Callie and visit her blog. You can see her home and the progress she is making, her DIY projects and favorite recipes.

Thank you all for entering, and there will be another GIVE AWAY very soon!

We Are The World!

How poignant is this song?  It’s easy for any of us to take for granted what we have and choose to turn a blind eye to the struggles of others.  I don’t believe much has to be said regarding the meaning inferred by this song.  Perhaps we can each think twice when we see someone in need and remember the paradise we are living in.  There are many ways we can each be involved to help those less fortunate.  From volunteering at a soup kitchen, or various other activities to donating what spare change, if any we may have.

How much better would this world be if we each took a moment to help out those in need?  We are the world, we are the children, we are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving.

In lieu of this, I'm climbing the 1,776 steps of the CN Tower on October 23, 2011, with my team of Canadian Athletes in the Enbridge CN Tower Climb for United Way.  If you can please help me reach and surpass my goal of raising $500 for the United Way by clicking here to sponsor me.

Money raised goes towards mobilizing people from every part of our community. We are changing lives and shaping a stronger and healthier city, with opportunities for all.  Together we can all make a difference!


We Are The World by USA for Africa

There comes a time

When we head a certain call

When the world must come together as one

There are people dying

And it's time to lend a hand to life

The greatest gift of all

We can't go on

Pretneding day by day

That someone, somewhere will soon make a change

We are all a part of

God's great big family

And the truth, you know love is all we need

[Chorus]

We are the world

We are the children

We are the ones who make a brighter day

So let's start giving

There's a choice we're making

We're saving our own lives

It's true we'll make a better day

Just you and me

Send them your heart

So they'll know that someone cares

And their lives will be stronger and free

As God has shown us by turning stone to bread

So we all must lend a helping hand

[Chorus]

We are the world

We are the children

We are the ones who make a brighter day

So let's start giving

There's a choice we're making

We're saving our own lives

It's true we'll make a better day

Just you and me

When you're down and out

There seems no hope at all

But if you just believe

There's no way we can fall

Well, well, well, well, let us realize

That a change will only come 

GIVE AWAY: Last chance to enter for The World of Muriel Brandolini

A keeper, this one. 

Last chance to enter the 

GIVE AWAY

of

The World of Muriel Brandolini Interiors

courtesy of Rizzoli Publishing

It came to my attention that those who are subscribing to katiedid did not have access to my sidebar to follow on google. So to make things easier for subscribers, you may enter by emailing your contact information to me. 

To see more about this fabulous book and to enter on the blog page, click on over HERE.

Good Luck and I will be announcing the winner on Monday!

Daytripping: Apple Hill

Fall is here. In these parts, that means it is time for the yearly trip to Apple Hill. Apple Hill is one of those places that pulls at your heartstrings.  We moved to Northern California about 20 years ago now, and started our family here. Ever since our teenage daughters were little, we have taken them to pick apples, drink apple cider, and eat apple pie in the beautiful hills North East of Sacramento. It was the place my youngest daughter decided she wanted to spend her sweet sixteenth birthday..... with her best girlfriends...so off we went last weekend.....a car full of six teens and me.....

The beautiful rolling hills of the Apple Hill region

 Since we first started coming here, the Hill has grown. The apple growers that open their farms to the public has probably tripled. There are maps and guides telling one where to find locations where there are fresh apple pies, where you can pick your own apples, where there are pumpkin patches, and where you can find BBQ for lunch.....or where there are hayrides, animals to pet, or pony rides.

Freshly picked half peck of apples...they were delicious!

And the pumpkins patches?  They are not just your average orange pumpkins.....

Pumpkins at Patrick's Mountain Berry Farm

Although there are plenty of those too....

High Hill Ranch is one of the main draws with its many craft booths, huge cider press with free cider samples, pony rides, hay rides, and large produce shed. And then there is the fishing pond which overlooks the valley....

It makes for a nice shower if you are so inclined.....

 We stop here because they have carmel apple milkshakes.....could you resist?

We also like to stop at Bavarian Hills where we can get Bratwurst, Polish Sausages, Schnitzel and Brockwurst....and maybe a stein of beer....OK....and maybe some Apple Strudel. There is a very relaxed uncrowded feel here when you compare it to High Hill, which I really like. It feels like Oktoberfest every time I come and sit in the Beer Garden and listen to the German music while eating my Bratwurst and red cabbage....

Next stop,  Denver Dan's where these cuties live....

Alapacas seem to be a growing industry in the hills between Sacramento and the Sierras.

Denver Dan's has a huge shop with another fruit treat everywhere look. There are fruit jams and syrups, and chutneys. There are frozen pies of every sort: apple, apple rhubarb, olallieberry, marion berry, cherry. There are Bavarian Cream Tortes, Pumpkin Rolls, Apple Crisps. There are Chicken Pasties, and Turnovers, home made chunky Applesauce.....

 And then there is Big Al. He's the guy you want to see for his famous apple slinky. If you are daring, he will give you the full treatment....that would be every syrup Denver Dan's makes on top of that apple slinky....

Big Al with a famous special Apple Slinky on one daring person's thumb. You will need a paper towel for this one.

We ended up taking home a frozen Pumpkin Roll (we ate it a couple of days ago....Soooo good!), a package of Chicken Pasties and an Apple Rhubarb Pie. All can be transported home in a cold storage pack also sold at Denver Dan's. But if you remember to bring a cooler, you will be set!

Next up, Apple Ridge Farms is perhaps my favorite place for treats. I cannot leave without a fresh warm  apple doughnut......

Apple Ridge, I am told, is also the only place that makes their own carmel for the apple slices in a bowl. And you can taste the brown sugar and butter in every bite! It is decadently delicious. I do not have a pretty picture...it is not that pretty....but I am pretty sure they eat these apples and carmel in heaven.

I have also been told that they have a new chef...so the BBQ is touted as being the best on the Hill as well. If I had only known.....we would have eaten lunch here! Luckily we are coming back up in a couple of weeks....so I will let you know!

The Flower Garden at Patrick's Mountain Grown Berry Farm

One of the last places I like to stop at the end of the Apple Hill loop is Patrick's Mountain Grown Berry Farm. The berry season has past (but during the summer you can come up and pick your own!), but they have such a beautiful flower garden, I cannot resist stopping to see it every year. It makes you feel like Alice in Wonderland.....

Happy birthday my own Alice on your sixteenth birthday....

I hope you all have a weekend full of wonders....

Sim2000 Coffee Table Range

Sim2000 Coffee Table Range

So Much to Do...So Little Time

I have so many things to tell you all, I just need to gather my thoughts!!!

I want to tell you all about the Marin Designer's Showcase Progress (Tomorrow!). I just went to see the house again yesterday and it is going to be beautiful! I met with Stephanie Breitbard Gallery yesterday to select more art for the space ( I can't wait to show you....she represents some amazing artists.) I went over to Smith Anderson to frame another peice going in the space by James Bleecker. And I met with my mirror and glass installer.....(well. really he is a glass artiste!).... Steve at 306 Glass and Design, to go over some things he is doing for me at the Showcase. Anything glass related, he can do it. Things are coming together!

I also have many client projects going on which are in various stages. One of the projects is a house designed by Joseph Eichler where I have had the good fortune to be working on much of the house, starting with a kitchen and family room remodel. It will be photographed this November I hope and I will get to show it to you all.

And I have been working hard to get a new website designed and launched....it should be up and running very soon!

In the meantime, I thought you might like to see the latest from Brunschwig and Fils. Such pretty Patterns and Colors. It lifts my mood on the rainy Fall day. Although I do love a rainy Fall day...it just makes it all the better. Head on over to see the whole Les Alizes Fall 2011 Collection!

How To Make A Concrete Coffee Table W/ Duane Johnson

How to Make a Concrete Coffee Table w/ Duane Johnson

The Craftsman Experience welcomes Duane Johnson former Editor from Family Handyman to the studio for a day of do-it-yourself building. Duane puts ...

An Ode to Sports Media

On Monday I had the opportunity to attend the 2011 Achievement Awards Presentation Luncheon for Sports Media Canada.  The room was filled with members from every organization involved in sports.  From the UFC to the MLB to the Canadian Olympic Committee, there we sat to pay well deserved homage to the people that tell our stories day in and day out best – sports media! 

As I sat and listened to the various recipients honoured for their work in sports I was overwhelmed with a deep sense of gratitude.  I mean it’s not like I’ve never taken the time before to be grateful for media.  But, in that moment I really, really felt indebted to the world of sports media.

I have blogged about “Angels in the Dugout” referring to the various medical personnel that work behind the scenes to allow us to perform center stage at the Olympic Games, World Championships, Commonwealth Games or in a Stanley Cup playoff.  But, I’ve also forgotten to include the media - working bees behind the scene. 

It is the media that really brings to life what it is we as athletes do.  Making it relevant and important to the public… I mean I’m only jumping over a bar, or someone is just paddling in the water, or shooting a puck into a net or a ball into a hoop.   It’s not like we are performing brain surgery.  Or maybe we are?  Yes, Sport unifies a nation.  Sport laughs in the face of racism.  Sport teaches us determination and to love that determined, relentless underdog.  And our sports media personnel TELL these stories.

Amateur athletes may seem to have a 4 year life cycle, but the various sports media personnel help to convey another story.  They also cover the years in between and show what it takes to become an Olympian.  We might be an ocean away, competing in a IAAF Diamond League, but we can always depend on a broadcaster like CBC to provide coverage and commentary; or CTV to tweet about a Banana Bread Bake-off between two stick-jumping athletes; or Randy Starkman to deliver continuous coverage of various Olympic athletes or about Mary the barber’s commitment to hockey. 

And so from the bottom of my heart I say a huge thank you to the various sports media personnel’s who have told mine and my fellow athletes’ stories.  I will miss you when I retire.  In this final year, as a world-class athlete, I hope to give you my best story yet.

Keep up the hard writing, commentating, photo-taking and fact checking work.  You are the windows to our pursuit in excellence… showing Sport really does matters!

Thanks!

Nicole 

6 Things Women Look for in a Man

As originally posted on the Huffington Post, Sunday October 2, 2011.

Last week, I began to bridge the barrier between men and women, revealing five things men look for in women. Being a female and unable to understand men's language, I turned to my trusty and reliable Facebook friends who were very forthcoming. This week, as promised, I continue the discussion by sharing hours of "girl-chat" as well as the comments of my Facebook friends (yet, again), to reveal what it is women look for in men.

1. Chivalry
Chivalry is not dead! A woman notices whether a man opens the door for her, walks closer to the traffic or pulls out a chair for her when she sits. This is something that separates any man from the pack. A woman with a man who does this will be the envy of all her girlfriends. Yep, you can bet she'll be bragging about your gentleman qualities.

2. Emotionally Available
A quick web search on relationship woes will reveal that being emotionally unavailable is a disease claiming the lives of many men. If you are a man who is afflicted by this disease, you would do well to seek help immediately! Being a man means being able to share how you feel and not worry about how you'll be seen. Gone are the days of a stoic appearance and seeming to have it all together. A blank wall is more attractive than a guy like this. If you're a man having difficulty tapping into this side of yourself, perhaps try watching the movie The Notebook instead of Beaches for a full recovery.

3. Attention to Detail
Women enjoy a man who pays attention to the small details and can recall them at a much later time. This will win any man huge points! For example, let's say your woman of interest tells an inconsequential story about lunch with a friend and in passing she mentions the name of the restaurant. Two weeks later you ask her, "How was the restaurant XYZ you went with your friend the other day? I was thinking we should go out for dinner tonight." A man will be instantly elevated to a level of superhero status, if at a later time, he can remember the small details and demonstrate he was really listening.

4. Compliment Genuinely and Compliment Unexpectedly
Yes, she may look great when she is dressed up and you should definitely let her know. But, it is also important to let a woman know just how special she is to you in her day-to-day life. See her laugh, smile or dimple in her cheek and compliment her on it. Stop to tell her (randomly, out of the blue), "You know, I really like the way you smile. Geeze, you are so beautiful just as you are!" Try this and you'll be thanking me. (Warning, doing this could grant you a month of freedom with your wolf pack, a.k.a. friends.)

5. Honesty
For any relationship to be successful there must be a sense of trust. Honesty is the glue that holds a relationship together and also an attractive feature. Even when it might not be the most pleasant news to tell a woman, it is better for a man to be open and honest than to tell a lie. Women have long perfected the art of detecting a liar. Most times a woman may let a man think he's pulled one over her as she sits back and mentally deconstructs his story, and in doing so, notes that things just don't add up -- all the while NEVER letting the man know she knows what he has just told her was a complete lie. Word of wisdom: just don't lie.

6. Confidence
Confidence is the key to being attractive. It will grab any woman's attention. And confidence should not be confused with arrogance, which involves a false sense of self. But, rather being confident involves taking stock in who you are (not what you do). Confidence should never be based upon your achievements or possessions; these are superficial and transient. Confidence needs to be deep rooted -- it's the belief that you are able to meet whatever challenge is placed before you. It's visible in a man's posture and the way that he carries himself. A man who knows this and owns it (without being arrogant) is like honey is to a bee.

At the end of the day, all a woman wants is to be adored. Yes, it's that simple. It means taking an interest in what she wants, what she is about, what she values and what she is striving for, while being nurturing. In truth, what any and everyone wants is to feel is important! Adoration speaks to this.

Women and men may have different languages, each one struggling to understand the other. But, perhaps if we each take time to think about what we want from that special someone, we'll probably find they would like the same thing in return.

Your non-relationship expert,
Nicole

Follow Nicole Forrester on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nicoleforrester

Celebrity Worship And Coffee Table Dharma | Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

Celebrity Worship and Coffee Table Dharma | Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche discusses cultural tendencies towards celebrity worship and "coffee table" forms of buddhism in the West.

Leave the Pebbles Behind

On October 23, 2011 a group of us National Team Athletes and Olympians will be making our ascent up the CN Tower, the second tallest free-standing building in the world for United Way.  To join our team or to support our fundraising goal for the United Way click on the following link http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.aspx?teamID=258894

In lieu of this for today's Blog post meet Tyler Mosher, an elite ambassador and my guest blogger, who is a Paralympian in Para-Nordic Skiing. Read hish inspiring story below!   Oh, and by the way he ran the CN Tower Stairs for United Way in 2009 with our team.

(Originally postedby November 16, 2009 on lululemon.

Time stood still. I was floating through the air upside down and actually took the time to think that I might die. I thought of the many things I still wanted to do, places I wanted to see. The cool things I was happy I’d done, and the many people in my life with so much love to share. It was not my day.

A second later I hit the ground head first from 10 metres above. My back explodes at L-1 like a pop can a kid jumps on and the vertebrae above and below break in nine places. I am stuck upside down in wind blown corn snow up to my ears and cannot move.

I am airlifted out of the glacier to the Whistler Health Clinic where my fears are confirmed Although I am alive, I am paralyzed from the waist down. Later that night I am sent down to Vancouver to be patched up to live in a wheelchair for the rest of my life.

Luckily, the doctors were wrong, and my spinal cord injury is incomplete vs. complete. But luck is an understatement. Nine years later, although I am considered 40% paralyzed below the waist, I have learned to walk again, learned to cross country ski, and even learned to snowboard again. Not everyone can do what I did. Most people with a spinal cord injury do not have the opportunity to get any muscles back and even if they do, they don’t get enough of what they need to walk.

So, I am lucky, but I worked hard at it. I set goals. I stayed positive and looked at the world with what I could do, not what I couldn’t do. I took up yoga and believed that I could think my way into a pose even if I couldn’t do the pose. I thought to myself to just try every day to do more, to learn more, to be strong and understand that if I fall down, it is because I am pushing the limits. In fact, I learned to walk again by falling down and getting back up and falling some more. Metaphorically I believe this is what success is all about – falling down and getting back up until you don’t fall down anymore.

Staying positive and looking for the positive aspect in everything I do is my key. I like to say I can turn two negatives into a positive. It sounds corny, but I believe it and I believe in myself. It doesn’t mean I don’t ask for help. It means that because I try to help myself in a positive manner, others will believe in me and help me too. All I need to do is ask.

Last month, I received an email from my super cool friend, Olympian Nicole Forrester, asking for people to climb the CN Tower with other national team members to raise money for the United Way - a charity I have always believed in. They help people ask for a better life, thus helping communities and families throughout the world.

I wasn’t sure if I could do it, so I drove down to Vancouver and trained in a stairway doing 20 flights at a time and taking the elevator down and doing it seven more times. I figured I could do it, the 147 flights of stairs (1776 steps), in about 35 minutes.

When I took the challenge two weeks ago I blew my attainable goal out of the water by clocking a time just under 20 minutes. Kayak Olympian and World Champion Adam Van Koeverden did it in about 14 minutes. Paralympian Stephanie Reid Lakatos ran it in about 17 minutes on her below the knee carbon fiber prosthetic, young Leah Robinson did it like me with some paralysis in her right leg and Wilfredo (Papito) Moré Wilson did it with just one leg and two crutches – was I ever impressed! As you can see, we are all capable of achieving greatness. As Muhammad Ali said, “It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”

So here I am: climbing new mountains every day. Although there are several hundred things I can’t do, there are several millions I can continue to do. I can’t run and I can’t jump but I can get up and be happy every day. I can set goals and achieve the seemingly impossible and I am not afraid to try. So in March of 2010, look for me racing in cross country skiing at the Paralympic games. I hope you are able to climb your mountains and leave the pebbles behind.

Namaste – Tyler
Check out Tyler Mosher’s fan Facebook page for updates: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tyler-Mosher/42536243617

Tyler and his team about to climb the CN Tower!

A group shot of the amazing athletes before climbing the CN Tower for United Way.

The team cheering for a great cause.

GIVE AWAY: The World of Muriel Brandolini

Photo by Eric Boman

 Muriel Brandolini is an adventurer. Her life reads like an epic novel, and her aesthetic illustrates her story with bold bright gestures capturing the romance and joie de vivre that any story worth reading would encompass.

I have been glued to my advance copy, gratis of the very kind folks at Rizzoli, ever since turning the first page. I am an admitted design addict....with the added addiction of bibliophilism vying for my attention daily. I am in no way seeking rehabilitation for my addictions, and it is books like this one that feed my cravings. 

Photo by Eric Boman

The World of Muriel Brandolini is my perfect read. It is filled with Brandolini's brilliantly exotic interiors which are so magical, telling a story all on their own. There are many design books which are filled with beautiful photos of beautiful interiors.....all unique and beguiling in their own way. The thing that sets this book apart is Muriel's personal story. She talks about her life from the beginning, starting off with her birth in Montpellier, France to a French-Venezuelan mother and a Vietnamese father. She takes us to Vietnam where her family moved when she was just a baby and then to Martinique when she was twelve, and then off to Paris where her education begins in earnest. 

Photo by Oberto Gili

Muriel travels the world thereafter meeting fascinating people, adding to her global aesthetic along the way. She takes us with her when she falls, accidentally, into a decorating career in New York, when the home she creates for her young family becomes famous after being published eleven times in one year. 

 We get to see her house in its many incarnations over the years, as well as her beach house on Long Island's Peconic Bay. All of her magical thinking is laid bare for us in Part I, the first third of the book.

Photo by Michael Mundy

In Part II, we are taken on a tour of client residences that take your breath away. Every piece in each room looks like a collected work, and worthy of attention. Many would say that this is not the formula for success in design.....that perhaps it is too much...and this is where Muriel proves them wrong. Muriel Brandolini  and her style have been described as everything from unconventional, exotic, bold, and magical, to "that newly minted American arbiter of haute bohemian chic"( New York Times). I would say she is all of those things, and more so if you consider America a melting pot of influences from around the world.

A single block of rock crystal....the side table by Martin Szekely. Photo by Pieter Estersohn

Brandolini's sophistication comes from her experiences, yes, but perhaps more so from her fearlessness. I think it is this quality that drives the creativity in the truly talented. She is unafraid of what the neighbors think. She teaches us that there are no rules in design. 

In the introduction by Wendy Goodman, design director of New York Magazine, says in the early days, she used to think Muriel's clients were "very brave and very lucky"....and now she thinks they are "just very lucky".

Photo by Pieter Estersohn

And oh how much I would agree.

Photo by Pieter Estersohn

Rizzoli has again been very kind in offering you, my fearless readers, a chance to win this stunning book for your very own!

To enter this GIVE AWAY,

Follow these easy steps:

1) Hop on over to the Rizzoli and take a moment to look around. See the facebook link? Go ahead and "friend" them.

2) Become a follower on the katiedid blog by clicking the google friend connect button on the right.

3) Click on the "comment" link at the bottom of this post and leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts about Muriel Brandolini and her exotic style!

4) Make sure I can contact you by including an email address, or make sure your username has a link to a contact email.
5) The Cut Off date to enter is October 9nd, this Sunday at 5:00PM PST. I will announce the winner the next day, October 10th!

AND.....as promised, 

the winner of the Michael S. Smith Kitchen and Bath book is...........

Barbara at Haus Design!

Congratulations Barbara!

Have a Fearless Day!