Hi Everyone-
I hope this episode got you intrigued to find out more about Lady Liberty & her upcoming anniversay of her dedication on Oct 28th.

Our guest was Barbara DesChamps, whose great-grandfather worked on the Statue when it arrived from France.  (How cool is that?).  Listen to our interview to find out  more about the back story of the Statue, and how an "after dinner" conversation started the path to one of the most recognized faces around the world!

Find out more about Barbara, her books (she writes travel books!) and her upcoming project-a cooking ebook!  Visit her website, Chateau Publishing for more info.  If you're interested in finding out more about her cookbook, send her an email to get on the mailing list!

To find out more about Lady Liberty, check out these sites:
Statue of Liberty
The National Parks Srvc site devoted to her

The Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Foundation

Until next time...

I had the pleasure to meet with, and interview Carter Oosterhouse of HGTV’s Carter Can and Red, Hot & GREEN in Chicago at the Luxe Home Open House last week.  Carter has made an incredible name for himself after being the “replacement for Ty” on TLC’s Trading Spaces.  With appearances on Rachel Ray, Oprah and starting his own foundation, Carter’s Kids (helping to combat childhood obesity through education & building playgrounds to encourage exercise/activity across the country), Carter is one of the ‘faces’ of HGTV with hosting 2 shows on the network.

Carter has come a long way from Traverse City MI, where he grew up and got degree in Nutrition.  He became interested in carpentry at a young age, following in his 2 older brothers footsteps (they are master carpenters & still reside in MI), and working along side them.  It was these skills that would lead to his “big break” on TLC….

Growing up in the upper Midwest was influential in shaping his design aesthetic & philosophy, incorporating natural materials, being mindful of how a product is made & how it’s disposed of are incorporated into all his projects.  This background helped make him the perfect choice to host Red, Hot & GREEN on HGTV.

Here are some of Carter’s tips for Kitchens & Baths that he shared with the audience:

l      Sweat the small stuff; look to accessories such as drawer/cabinet pulls to create excitement

l      Focal point/Eye-sore: make sure there is 1 focal point in the room (and make sure it’s NICE!).  Most use the stove or the kitchen table in the kitchen

l      Lighting: remember to use the 4 layers of lighting!

l      Countertops: there’s more to countertops than granite.  Look at other alternatives to create a distinctive space

l      Color: don’t be afraid of it!  And remember that color is brought in through tile, flooring, accessories as well, and not just the color on the wall

l      The kitchen triangle: this is the space of efficiency stating that the fridge, stove and sink are in a triangle to each other for a more effective floorplan

To find out more about Carter or on Carter’s Kids, check out his website at www.carteroosterhouse.com.  Also follow him on Twitter (and tell him where he can go shopping!).

Listen to more of my interview with Carter on the CasaVerde radio show where you can find out more about Carter, his foundation and what you can expect to see from him in the future (hint….there’s wine involved!).

HI Everyone-

In this episode meet GiGi Stetler...a true woman pioneer in a man's industry: the RV industry! There are many sides to this tough-as-nails businesswoman: She is also a single mom, an accomplished equestrian, and a woman of such immeasurable grace that she visited every day at the deathbed of the mentor who had tried to destroy her. As the sole female owner of three RV dealerships in the country, Gigi operates in a man’s world, carving out her own path to success. She has rewritten the rules and redefined the business climate of the RV industry. Gigi’s gift of innovation has enabled her to expand her business, while her competitors are closing their doors. With a recession under way, RVs are a tough sell, but her business grosses more than $18 million a year. That’s a big jump from the $500-a-week base pay Stetler earned as an employee at a Fort Lauderdale RV dealership in 1986 where she was promoted to manager after only two weeks, and stayed for 13 years. Along the way, she transformed the business into a customer service focused operation.

GiGi also does mindset coaching (law of attraction) for small business owners as well!  Find out more at www.2beunstoppable.com.  There you can purchase the book and find out more about GiGi & her life philosophy.  You can also find her on Facebook (/gigistetler and the unstoppable FAN page) and twitter (/gigistetler).

GiGi feels that "if you think you can, you...and if you think you can't, you can't & teaches this to her clients as well as living this herself.  "Do NOT play the victim" is her life motto.

Make sure to listen to the full interview to find out more about the great work she did during Hurricane Katrina & how 1 kind act (the Taxi Lady story) led to many lives being saved ( and a $2 MILLION contract with the US Navy!).  DiDi lives her life with purpose, passion & determination...I think this definitely carried through in our conversation!

Until next time...make a difference!

How fabulous was today's show?  Talking about one of my fave topics....CLUTTER.

To find out more about Janet, go to her site at www.janetmorrisgrimes.com and to contact her, email her at janet@janetmorrisgrimes.com.

Her book, A Parent's Guide to Clutter is available for pre-order on Amazon now! 

I also announced our "new & improved" Master Mind program that will start in January 2011 (instead of Dec 2010...sorry) and will be a combination of CLUTTER AND Feng Shui.  Topics that will be focused on are MONEY & RELATIONSHIPS!!!!  The 2 top topics I get asked to design around, about & coached on.  And, I will have finished up my certification on the topic of moeny w/a new certification program (I'll be one of the first!) so my clients & MM group members will be some of the first recipients of this knowledge!!!  Contact us at info@bantedesign.com and put Master Mind in the subject line to be put on the mailing list for info & sign-up info in November.  Until then, make sure to check out The Clutter Counselor website with videos, workshops and more info on VIP coaching packages.

Remember: Do you LOVE it?  Do you NEED it?  Do you USE it?

Until next time...

What a fabulous show!!!  Good grief, I could have talked to Ahni for hours...I love when you totally connect with someone like that.  We'll get Ahni on the Feng Shui Fabulous show where we can really delve into energy work, energy healing and philosophy.

Ahni started her "journey" after a rather bad break-up and in a fit of depression, went to a local Psychic Fair (hey, we've all done it!).  However, this was to change her life....After following the instructions given to her by the physchic she saw about a meditation routine, her intuitive channels were opened....This began her journey from being a math teacher to the founder of the Mystery School in the mountains of NC.

Her biggest roadblock was her mother, who compelled her "not to tell anyone for fear they'll think you're a witch!"  Turns out, upon learning more about a deceased grandmother, this is what happened to her & she was jailed for it!  Ahni kept her mouth shut, until she couldn't any more.

She is now a best-selling author (winning literary awards), teacher and intuitive.  Her advice to listeners is to be open to where your journey leads, you never know who you'll meet or the impact they will have on your life (or you on their's!).  And once you follow your passion & heart's desire, step into it & own it.  Once you  make that commitment, the rest will fall into place.

Find out  more about Ahni and her work at the Mountain Mystery School AND her brand new book, The God Magic Within You.  And, if you order the book now off the website, you'll get the accompanying CD for FREE!  Such a deal.

Enjoy!

Hey Everyone-
What a cool topic, hey?  I'm totally fascinated by this.  Here's a link to my column that I wrote on this topic which lists the 9 Values of Biophilic Design as described by Dr Stephen Kellert.  There is also a link that will take you to the article & video I did on SkyFactory as well, that you can see their virtual windows & ceilings & how they incorp[orate biophilic design & nature into a space.

Here's more on Mark Petrick:
Mark Petrick is a member of the Marketing Team at The Sky Factory where he wears various hats in the realm of marketing communications and product development including: coordination of collaborations with scientific researchers; development of continuing education for architects and designers; making photographs for the company's Illusion of Nature(tm) products; developing marketing communications; and changing the air conditioning filters. Mark has an MFA in visual art, and did graduate work in architecture and design at UC Berkeley. He is an award-winning artist/photographer, and taught college art courses for a dozen years. 

Mark was a great guest, and I can't wait to have him on the show again!!