My friend & fellow blogger Lisa MacKay tweeted to me yesterday that I'm "On Fire..." I spent the day laughing to myself as I visualized me, Meredith Heron, starring in the Hunger Games as a Designer Tribute... if you've read it, I'm sure you will see the mirth I was enjoying.

Lightening speed though, is kinda the best way to describe my brain right now. Well, I like to think it is as such because, it's so blurry I'm desperately hoping it's due to action vs a fog setting in for the long haul. I'm choosing to go with the former rather than the latter.

LA, Getting Published, Restaurant Project and not one, not two but three upcoming Magazine features have Meredith the PR & Marketing Whiz doing triple duty at the moment. Actually, I think it's even more than that that duty wise. Designer/Accountant/Artist/Stylist/Photographer/Writer/Producer/Director. My life truly is a 3 ring Circus.. err make it 5 rings. Rumour has it, I may be making a little return visit to television in the near future as well. Shh that is a secret.

I am blessed. Ten years of hard work has lead to this. Ten years of worrying I'm not good enough, worthy enough too - just in case you think that I am without that voice that asks always "Do I Deserve It?" My friend Stacey who writes Quintessence Blog told me a year ago that 2012 was supposed to be a big year for me. It was in late spring and I remember thinking at the time that waiting for 2012 to happen was going to kill me. Whenever I got worried, nervous or scared about the future in 2011, I always focused on that one little bit of encouragement Stacey tweeted to me.

Word to the wise, pay attention to random astrological tweets from @Quintessence as she is ON THE MONEY!!!

You ready for a few lil sneaks???

I'm back from LA - exhausted but so excited. SO MUCH HAPPENING!!!!

I will be back posting fabulousity en masse next week including the grand reveal of my house on the pages of Style at Home magazine.

In the mean time, indulge me if you will...

You see, I was asked to participate in a little contest with several other divine Canadian bloggers... Urban Barn, the Canadian Superstar Furniture Store reached out to myself and my fellow bloggers: Nyla, Christine, Kim, & Maria and asked us to design a chair for them.

chairity.urbanbarn.com

We're of course competing for bragging rights, but ALSO get this, our chairs will be auctioned off and the monies will be donated to our chosen charities. I've selected the Arthritis Society of Canada. If you are not familiar with my twitter feed, you may not be aware that last year, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. This isn't the old, wear and tear on your joints arthritis, this is the full blown body attacking your joints kind. It was a shock to all of us - it literally came out of nowhere. Fortunately, I was immediately seen by a great team of doctors and was accepted into a new drug trial. It's medical advances like this that are made possible by charities like the Arthritis Society. Those of us who suffer - NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

So if you would be so kind, please vote for my chair! I want to make sure my charity is the big winner - for personal reasons!!

WHIRLWIND.

Got to LA on Sunday, still here but I have a glass of wine and a laptop and an actual wifi connection that seems to be sticking around so I thought I would whip together a little glimpse of LA Blogger Style. My fabulous roomie Katie Rosenfeld of boglestreet.com & I are hanging out in our room, drinking wine, pesudo napping (she's now packing).

So the little bit of news I have... this blog, this very one that you are reading right now just won Best New Design Blog and has been inducted into the Design Bloggers Conference Hall of Fame.

To quote The Zoe - I DIE.

This blog isn't even a year old. This time last year, I was talking about making it happen and had set the wheels in motion to get it off the ground.

Winning, I had to give a little speech. I wasn't prepared to do so. Not like THAT has ever stopped me before.

As a Canadian, I am so proud to have achieved this. So many of the blogs are American so I feel a little extra special to have received this award and we all know that I am still fighting to get parity with shipping/pricing etc between our two countries within the industry so it's special to me.

So many individuals have supported this blog and me personally in this endeavour including my fabulous husband Asa and team at MHD. Anne & Celia are great at encouraging me with post ideas, achievements and well they like my snark. I mean they have to live with me... so it's kinda important non? HA! I kid. My lil man Luke who also encourages and supports his Momma's blog writitng  at times - it's the only way he'll let me stay downstairs after he's gone to bed. He understands that it's important that Momma work on this. Gawd he is really the best. I cried when the tres adorbs Kelley Moore interviewed me after winning. She asked me what I am most proud of - Luke - lost it on camera. I think that means I'm officially a mom well not just any mom, MY MOM. My goodness. I really hope my mascara didn't run.

I am a very lucky and blessed woman to be surrounded by so many wonderful friends - including my bestie Gina who has encouraged me to speak up, speak out and be proud but to always think with my pocketbook. I have learned so much from her and am so fortunate to call her my sister. So, now that my reputation as a right biotch is blown to hell and back... Sap that I am...

Thank you for reading;, for  laughing with and/or at me; for supporting the work that I do and celebrating my passions with me; for challenging me to work at being a better designer and blogger always. I am grateful and humbled.

And now I have to go to the Ivy and hope to stare agawk at some famous person and paparazzi.

Because I'm in Hollywood y'all.....

xoxoxoxo

I know, you may have heard my eyes roll once or twice about trend colours... this year's being Tangerine Tango. Many months ago, just about the time the colour of the year was declared, Benjamin Moore in the US approached me about featuring one of my projects in their magazine Nuance...

Here's a little sneak of what they featured. I ADORE how the put this together by the way. Best use of Tangerine Tango I've seen thus far and not just because my fabulous room (which was completed over 2 years ago ahem shameless tooting of one's own horn here) was included in it!

I'm headed to Design Bloggers Conference in LA this Sunday. I'm back next week. I'm going to be a tweeting machine so please follow me there.. @meredithheron or you can always stalk my instagram which is also @meredithheron oh and of course the telepathic network which is woowho @meredithheron too I think well you have to actually just THINK @meredithheron for the TPN.

I can't resist sharing a few pics from our shoot on Wednesday. I am beyond thrilled with the results and am furiously working on the article info to accompany the shoot.

::Parental Time Out to assure child that he does not, in fact, need Cookie Monster::

My mandate for this shoot was a little unusual as I mentioned yesterday. The magazine asked that I incorporate British Trends into the space.

I'm religiously opposed to Keep Calm & Carry Anything Signs (except for virtual voodoo dolls & ice picks which you will know I favour heavily for emergencies, asshats & the like).

I can occasionally accept Union Jacks but they need to be subtle and make sense in the space vs. SCREAM at you like a stadium full of rabid soccer/football fans.

There are many other british design influences to be had. British Colonialism in India, period furniture, toiles, chintz, bone china, cut crystal... I can go on. We've incorporated a wide variety - which has the following appeal: Layered, collected interiors that are built over time. Evens the design playing field when you go for this eclectic approach.

We also achieved a much richer space by shopping from the client's own collectibles as well as mixing in new to the client antiques and new pieces made to look old. Are you still following me? Okay I'll shut up now & post the pics.