From Design Bloggers Conference to Ronald McDonald

Part of the experience at Design Bloggers Conference is networking as well as listening to many of the keynote addresses and feeling energized from these days spent *buzzing* and this year was no different.
I decided to really breakout of my shell and let people know a little more about me - mainly through my few minutes on the podium thanks to the gracious invite from Adam Japko.

I know,.. your thinking.. but wait, she has said this already! Yes, I started but I didn't actually share WHAT I said - and that is important for you to understand why I am sitting with Ronald.. and no, he did not visit us a DBC in LA, although I think he should have!

Enough of that, this is the important part.
As part of my talk I shared that
1. I was born in LA! Yes, LA. But, moved around a lot.. ended up in Portugal.. and then in New York.
2. Talked a little about the kiddos.. (sorry no pics).. a little about scary movies and TV Shows, really design related I know..
3. Talked about my design business in Portugal. The one I left behind, to start a new life in NY once an opportunity presented itself for our family that we could not say no to .. and all of this, in 2008.

So I went from 10+ years of very hard work establishing our own design firm with my husband Bruno Viterbo, an education center, contacts and brand awareness with projects such as these...

only to end up like this several years later.
Not great.

via

and, there was a new baby girl as an added (and oh so lovely) bonus.

So you get it. I was going crazy. Lost my mind and then I found you. Yes, YOU!

This blog brought me to you, and you to me.
So this is what I shared with the audience in LA. How, I was able to connect and start again even in the most difficult times to be in our business let alone start a new one. In a country that was foreign to me and without many connections.

So, I am believer in putting it out there into the abyss. Into the world, and seeing what happens.
So I did. In the end of 2011, I set 3 goals for my year of 2012, and shared them in my post, as well as with the audience in the room.
2 had come true.. yes, I was getting invited to more speaking events, and had made strides in new and exciting projects.

But, and this is where Mr. Ronald comes in to the picture, 1 big dream had yet to be realized - a showhouse.
So, thanks to MANY OF YOU at the conference for sharing your hopes that this would come true for me .. and by the grace of the kind Beth Greene from Kravet (and Adam for making it possible!)

I spent the day today with a group of the most amazing, generous and talented designers as we embark on The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island - Kravet Project Design 2013

Designers participation:  Amanda Nisbet, Anthony Baratta, The Breakfast Room, Bunny Williams, Core Consulting, Danielle Colding Design, Delrose Design, Drake Design Associates, Drew McGukin Interiors, Dwell Studio, Elaine Griffin Interior Design, Eric Colher, Kate Singer, Kim E Courtney Interiors & Designs, Mabley Handler Interior Design, Margreet Cevasco Design, Matthew Patrick Smyth, Meg Braff Designs, Mehditash Design (thats me!) Michael Herold Design, Michael Tavano Design, Mr Call Design, Nick Olsen, Pappas & Mirron Design, Tilton Fenwick Young Huh Interior Design, 

I can't possibly express how excited, and how much this means, especially as it is for the families that live and need this home. I promise to share some truly detailed, image laden, video enhanced, super sad and extremely happy tales on this adventure... but for now, there is just a very big thank you to Beth Greene, to all from Kravet, Adam Japko that put us in the same room, & to all of you that have helped bring this special group together. I am so honored to be among them.

Tomorrow.. part 2 with Barbara Barry continues.. and then much more on this RMH_LI adventure.