I was amazed at some of the sights we saw driving about, palm trees dressed in gold lame for decoration. We drove to an artist’s “village” a crowded maze of old and new buildings with a “gate” at the front that is home to many artists. It seemed somewhat deserted and we ambled around for at least an hour on stone streets. We came across a house crafted of oyster shells, and a performance pavilion with stunning gold and black “door ghosts.” We also saw a man hard at work mortaring brick and using an old fashioned bucket and pulley for bringing up the sand for his mortar.

Following our meanderings we headed off to visit the studio of Mr. Cuo, an acclaimed contemporary Chinese interior designer. We were greeted by his assistants and viewed all four floors. His work is reminiscent of Ron Arad, Michael Taylor, and Robert Kuo. It is bold in its shape, peaceful in its simplicity, and timeless by its largely organic nature. He had a stunning collection of fish, mostly carved wood, some ceramic that he had crafted. He shared that the fish is not present in the Chinese calendar of astrology, and he felt that it represented his uniqueness. He also had a collection of toilets, both working and decorative because he said (through the translator) that the invention of the toilet was so incredible and had been impacted by so many other countries that China needed to design a toilet also.

I was honored by his request to sign a book he owned on my great grandfather, Frank Lloyd Wright. And he presented me with a clipping in Chinese regarding Fallingwater that he had hung onto for many years. He also presented each of us with a tiny ceramic cup, hand crafted used to toast with Chinese liquor. It was truly a privilege visiting his studio and viewing his craftsmanship and imagination at work.

San Francisco Rocked! This last week I had the good fortune of attending the TSS (Teleseminar Secrets) Reunion in San Francisco. There were 150 of us from a possible 500+ that made the trip to connect first hand and experience Alex Mandossian in person. We had all graduated from his 8 week teleseminar training in the last few years. It was outstanding.

Best experience ever! Never have I attended a live event where the participants were so open, connected, tuned in and turned on. I made a lot of valuable contacts and even more importantly some delightful new friends and colleagues. I also learned a revolutionary new goal achievement system, MAINLY^(TM) by Raymond Aaron. This was particularly extraordinary as his life’s work dovetailed with my concept that a goal (as we have learned to set them) leads to almost certain failure and it is desires we must focus on overall. His system is flawless, simple to apply and proven. Wow!

Gurus galore! Of course one of the highlights was meeting Alex in person. I have had the privilege to learn from him off and on over the last decade but this was to the next level. I also got to catch up with Mari Smith, “the Pied Piper” of Facebook, and my private instructor on social media. (Yes, I learn from the best, so I can share it with others like you!)

New initiatives and launches in the works! Got refocused and targeted and will be initiating new tools, great educational systems, and much more in the weeks upcoming. I also had the delight to meet Gail Doby, a design colleague and the prestigious head of Design Success University. You can never have too much education in the mastery of success!

Prospering by Design, ALWAYS!

MG

Chairish the Future was a big success! I have to say having never attended a live auction before that was a blast! I knew just when to bid to drive up the pricing and at the same time when to bid so I’d win and I did. I’m the proud owner of three new chairs for my ever growing collection with a fourth on the way since my Prince commissioned one that had sold! We also snagged a week at the beach in an 1800 square foot condo, ooooh fun! And I met VERN YIP!

San Francisco bound! This week I’m in San Francisco for Alex Mandossian’s TSS Reunion. I’m truly looking forward to meeting my mastermind members first hand and connecting with successful mentors to continue my business growth.

ACC Craft Show coming up! Are you going to attend? The weekend of March 13-15 is Atlanta Market but also the American Craft Council Show and I will definitely be checking it out. Years past I’ve gotten great finds in art apparel as well as artwork for clients and my own collection. It is a global gathering of talent you don’t want to miss.

Prospering by Design, ALWAYS!

MG

“Slumdog Millionaire“ -
Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Anil Kapoor, Irfan Khan

Totally deserved the Oscar sweep it made. Having been to India made this so much more real to me. It was brilliantly crafted by Director Danny Boyle. An unknown and virtual outcast wins millions on national television and how does he possibly know the answers? Well that is where the movie tells its story. Each answer is uniquely and indelibly tied to an instance many horrific in the young man’s childhood. From his mother being slaughtered by religious zealots while doing laundry one day, to his time as an orphan who is kidnapped and forced to beg for a living, to rescuing the love of his life from servitude and prostitution, all of these are how he learned the answers and takes the prize. It is an old fashioned, in many ways, feel good story. Patel has a very promising future along with his stellar supporting cast.

www.chairishthefuture.com is this weekend! Vern
Yip of HGTV fame is emceeing the event at the King Plough Arts Center
in Atlanta. There is still time to buy tickets and partake of a
wonderful evening of food, drink, fun, connecting, and chairs! I will
be there with my new beau (I am too old for a boyfriend!) It benefits
the Metro Atlanta Furniture Bank, a great cause. Who knows, I might
even pick up a few additions to my collection. Love to see you there.

You asked to see The Bag!
I had readers request to see the bag that “he” bought me spur of the
evening on Valentine’s, so here it is. And I have to confess that my
real treasure was a red balloon that he gave me at lunch the day before
Valentine’s and I kept it attached to my purse (not the one here, the
everyday bag) for over 8 days as it continued to fly high! You’ve no
idea the amused looks and comments it drew from men and women alike,
unfamiliar with seeing an adult with a red balloon.

Under the Big Top again! Heading
into Atlanta this weekend for Cirque du Soleil. Betting many of you
have seen a show or two, if you haven’t DO, if you have DO AGAIN! There
is nothing more stunning than seeing the human body used as a living
art form and that is really what Cirque does. It is also a brilliant
reminder of how DESIGN is a totally engulfing sensory experience
touching our sight, our hearing, our touch, our smell, and our taste. How can you DESIGN a total experience for your clients? It isn’t about the sofa but about the experience they will have by owning it . . .

Prospering by Design, ARE YOU?

MG

“Pink Panther 2 -
Steve Martin, John Cleese, Jean Reno, Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, Lily Tomlin, Jeremy Irons, Emily Mortimer

I think I must be more in love with the soundtrack and the animated Pink Panther than with the movie and its stars. It struck me as one of those films made as a kind of party for the actors on screen rather than anything for a viewer. Clearly it is a star studded cast with some faces that haven’t seen the big screen in a long while. This never got past mildly amusing, it was entirely predictable and honestly boring in many places. Good background noise if you are having a party!

“Taken“ -
Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen

I love this and it is rare to find an action/adventure flick that isn’t overloaded with special effects and such stunts as to be entirely unrealistic. This was hot! Neeson hasn’t been on screen much lately but he definitely has Harrison Ford potential. In fact he is much more intriguing that Ford can ever be with that slight accent and loping gait. The premise is that a divorced Dad clearly a former government operative has lost his wife and daughter to years of neglect and his ex remarries a very wealthy but powerless businessman. Powerless because when Neeson’s daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) goes off to Europe for the summer and is TAKEN by a prostitution ring, Neeson has to leap into action to save her. The rule of thumb is that if not found in the first 48 hours, the changes of her being recovered become slim to none. This was a wild ride complete with Eastern European mafia figures and French government operatives gone bad. This ranks up there with my favorite Nicolas Cage caper “Gone in 60 Seconds.”