A Design Award! Stop Da Presses.......

I finally get to share this bit of news that I've been holding in for a few weeks. I've been selected as the recipient of the Z Gallerie 2013 Fall/Winter Design Award.
Humbled, honored, blessed are just a few of the words I can find to describe how this feels. 
As many of you know, I'm not a classically trained designer. I'm just a girl who followed her passion/obsession for design, studied quietly, worked my way up from the bottom, by learning the gritty work of the trade and now here we are. 
Thankful for all the clients who have handed over their keys, and cash, and trusted me to work my magic.
Thankful even more for having the best design team a girl could ask for - hats off to Debbie, Shaggy, Roy, Dennis and Tamisha for making me look good. The bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne that came with that award will be shared!
Here are a few of the the projects, featuring Z Gallerie pieces, that I submitted.

Sophie Mirrored Dining Table and mirrored buffet.

Brooke Hexagon Coffee Table

Venezia Chandelier

Z Gallerie accessories including the Alligator Bookend

Astair Nesting Tables

 Thanks even more to all of you for following along this little journey. And huge thanks to the hubby and Xavier for tolerating my insane work schedule and loving and supporting me through it all. Hugs and Besos. Now back to work!

An Award? Yes, Yes. A Liebster Award it Is.

We've been nominated for our first blogger award by the wonderful Danielle over at Nana Moon Shop, who was herself nominated by the amazing Patty at Patty's Epiphanies.  Man, what an honor. 

 

As you know, there is no award ceremony per se, but rather it's a chance to share some revealing tidbits with our fellow bloggers/readers. 
So we'll state 11 facts, answer the 11 questions posed to us, followed by a list of 11 questions we came up with for the bloggers (with under 200 followers) who we nominated.

11 Facts

1. Debbie and I are both from the island of Jamaica
2. I don't know how to swim; I start swimming lessons next week
3. We both started elementary school at the age of three - which is the normal age in the Caribbean
4. We both went to rival all-girls schools and wore uniforms
5. I drink at minimum, two cans of sugar free Red Bull everyday. Please don't judge!
6. I hate the mall and grocery shopping (my amazing hubby does all our grocery shopping); I'd rather spend an entire day at the fabric store or furniture shopping.
7. For my 30th birthday, I went to Paris with my cousin Lisa and am still in awe of Versailles.
8. I cannot sleep in an unmade bed.
9. I have the cutest son ever.                     
10.  I've been drunk only once in my life. At least, that's the one time I can recall. 
11. I had my first real heartbreak when I was 19 years-old. I mailed (yes, I said mailed) all his love letters/gifts back to him and wore black for a month. We are now the best of friends and he attended my wedding!

 11 Questions asked of us

1. What is your passion in life.

Interior design. I dream about the projects I work on and could definitely do this for free. Even when I've had a challenging project, I get over it the minute I start planning the next project. 

2. Who influenced you.

My grandmother Enid. She is an avid reader and writer and has perhaps written the most letters to the editor in the Jamaican newspapers. I believe I got my writing chops from her. She's also 81 years-old and looks 50. I pray every day that I'll be equally blessed!

3. Why did you start writing a blog. 

I became a certified wedding planner in 2010 and creating a blog was a class requirement. I started the blog then did nothing with it. When the class was over, I dusted it off, gave it a new name, new design and new attitude when I realized it would be a great place to share the behind the scenes process of our projects and other loves. Debbie, my amazing design assistant, was a natural, especially at finding amazing photos and soon joined along.

4. Are you a morning or a night person. 

Hmm...A little of both? I can't stay in bed once the sun is up but I also get  a lot done late at night.

5. What is your favorite color

Orange. Er, just take a look at the NWD logo and our blog header!

6. What room do you "live" in

My office. So much to do, so little time.

7. Are you a "Gold" or "Silver" Girl

Silver. Never ever liked gold. Strange, but true.

8. Would you prefer to spend your vacation in the mountains or at the beach

The beach. Nothing beats seeing that endless bounty of blue water. And to think, in a few weeks I'll be able to actually swim in said beach.  

Source

9. What part of the world would you most want to visit

I'd love to return to Europe to visit Italy, Spain and London. 

10. Coffee or Tea

Neither. Red Bull.

11. Do you still wear a wrist watch

I wear a wrist watch every day. The first thing I purchased with the first pay check I earned in this country, was a Guess wrist watch. Cost a whopping $65 and lasted 15 years.

11 Blogs We Nominate

Mimosa Lane

 My Best Friend Craig

The Little Black Door

Tiffany Leigh Interior Design

Design Indulgences 

Scandi Coast Home

Quite The Blog

My Crafty Home Life

Beauty and a Baby

A Room With a View

Be Inspired

11 Questions We Asked of them

1. What is the most scandalous thing you've ever done?
2. Who was your celebrity crush as a teenager?
3. Have you ever been fired from a job and why?
4. Would you prefer to live in a house with white walls or one with splashes of color?
5. What food or drink could you not live without
6. If you had five minutes to pack your five favorite possessions, what would they be?  
7. If you could get one do-over in life, what would it be?
8. What is your guiltiest pleasure?
9. Jeno, Letterman or Andy Cohen?
10. I feel most powerful when....
11. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing...