We started the year with the excitement of filming our nursery design process for Lisa and Buddy Valastro of the hugely popular reality show, The Cake Boss. Not only did I have the pleasure of designing a celebrity nursery, but they loved their baby's nursery so much that they hired me to design kids' rooms for their other three children as well. It was truly a highlight of my career to enjoy working with this delightful client as well as to have an inside peek at the filming and production of a reality TV show.
Once we were finished with designing and filming for The Cake Boss, we moved on to doing some philanthropic design work for Make a Wish Foundation. We pulled together various manufacturers and designers from the children's decor industry and created a magical fairyland playroom for a sweet little girl with brain cancer. It was a humbling, rewarding and heartbreaking experience. I will never forget Avery and her family and I pray daily for a miracle for them.
Just before the 4th of July, my dear friend and fellow nursery designer, Mary Bauer of Bratt Decor and I decided to give back to our country's brave military men and women by offering a $10,000 Military Family Dream Nursery Give Away. We had some great entries and selected Carlos and Marlene Altamirano as our very deserving winners. We're still awaiting final photos back from the photographer, but we promise this beautiful nursery is worth the wait!
About mid summer I finally bit the bullet and began designing my online baby boutique, Jack and Jill Boutique. It's something that I should have done years ago, but just didn't seem to ever find the right time or have the resources to begin. I'm thrilled with how the baby boutique has grown and have some great plans for its growth and success in the coming years. I have worked with so many great kids' product designers through my interior design firm, Jack and Jill Interiors for the past twelve years, that it only made sense to begin this online kids' store to enhance my design services and round out my offerings to my clients and customers.
This summer, I began talking with friend and colleague, Aaron Christensen of Embellishments about a new business venture. It's funny how much our careers have paralleled over the years. We are both nursery and kids' room designers and we each have our own line of children's wall art. Our respect for one another in this industry led to a great friendship and we finally decided that it would be more fun to work together with another like-minded creative person than to always be going it alone. We've created a new company, The Princess and The Prop Maker. Through this new entity, we will design nurseries and kids' rooms together and create some great new products along the way. We recognize that we each have a unique set of strengths to contribute to this new venture and look forward to pulling them together to design magical kids' rooms and products that are sure to please. Be sure to follow our blog and our Facebook page where we'll share our adventures and provide tips on design and introduce you to the latest and greatest baby and kids' products on the market today.
And finally, I've been contracted by a television producer who has created and is pitching a few different reality and design shows for which I would be the host and designer. I've been contacted by five or six production companies over the past few years, but this company is really working day and night to get us a show. As much as I'd love to design kids' rooms and baby nurseries every day for television, I don't count my chickens before they hatch. I've been down this road before and realize that in order for a show to really take off, all the stars must be in perfect alignment. If I get a show, great...it will be fun and I promise to entertain and provide great design. If I don't get a show- still great...because I love my life and am blessed to have the opportunity to wake up each day to a loving family and to have a career that I absolutely love and feel passionate about each and every day.
So...what's in store for us in 2012? I have no idea! Each day as a nursery designer, artist, boutique owner, wife and mother is a new adventure and full of surprises. All I can say is stay tuned...I promise it will be an exciting year!
Happy New Year to each of you and may you all be blessed with good health, happiness and prosperity in 2012!
