Martha Stewart Interview

We had the incredible opportunity to interview Martha Stewart while she was in town for Alt Summit and what a powerhouse! We first listened to her Keynote address to a crowd of about 300 bloggers at Alt Summit and then went to a private meeting with her at Macy’s City Creek. We were able to sit down and chat with her for about 20 minutes. First lesson about Martha: she runs a tight ship. Her schedule is perfectly coordinated down to the second. Second, Martha has been in this business for a very long time and is the ultimate professional. When asked how she “does it all”, she said she wakes up two hours earlier than she wants to. She is not the type that lays back and watches her fortune roll in. The lifestyle brand icon made it very clear that she oversees every decision for her company and life.For example, after she met with us she instructed all the Macy’s employees on how she wanted them to sell her new home style products – she really is all about the details! It was fascinating to hear from such an iconic woman.

Q: Have you been to Utah before?

A: The first time I came I was celebrating my daughter’s birthday. We drove to Zion and climbed Angel’s Landing. I crawled the last few feet, she just walked to the edge. It was scary, the wind was blowing. {laughter}

Q: What inspired you to put the book together? (This is her 85th book published, she has 2 more coming out this fall!)

A: We have always been discovering wonderful recipes across the country since we started the magazine 20 years ago. We have really loved the kind of melting pot recipes you find in America. This was a good way to compile them into one place and tell the back stories, celebrate the ethnic groups that make this delicious food that we all eat. The recipes are really great.

Q: What is your favorite indulgence or splurge when eating?

A: It is more about variety for me than indulgence, I don’t like eating the same thing all the time. I grow a lot of stuff, all winter long. We’ve been growing all the salads, spinach parsley for my green drink every day. That is one thing I do drink every day except today. Tomatoes, root vegetables, I have a greenhouse that’s barely heated. I have my own chickens and my own eggs. I grow my own food. It’s not chocolate or peanut butter. {we gasped}

Q: While you were speaking at Alt Summit you mentioned that you work with your sister. Britt and I work together, tell us about that?

A: Yes, I work with one sister and one sister-in-law. It’s nice. My sister is a great writer and she knows my voice. It’s very good for her to write on my blog because it sounds like me. I don’t get a chance to edit everything she writes, but I trust her. Today’s blog is about a visit I made last weekend to this beautiful nursery in Portland, Oregon. I woke up at 4 o’clock and read it very quickly. She is very busy doing stuff and just emailed me and told me she finished doing my rose garden blog. She asked if she could have tomorrow off… I haven’t answered yet..I’m going to torture her a little bit. {giggling} My sister-in-law has a big job at the company she is the business manager for publishing and manages HR. And my niece Christina works for me too, she sells the digital advertising. I am trying to get her married to her cute boyfriend.

(Britt: Well, just tell her you will plan her wedding!)

I have! She knows she can get married at my house, but I don’t know my nephew already did that.

Q: What would you serve at a 4th of July party?

A: I love fried chicken. I’m not a big meat eater, but everyone else loves it, so maybe some nice steaks as well. We always have a lot of food, food is important in our family. Good food.

Q: What’s the best way to make your guests feel welcome?

A: Talk to them (laughter). Invite them into your kitchen and have them help you with your preparation.

Q: What comes to mind when you hear someone say “That’s so Martha”?

A: I laugh. It’s true it happens a lot. I think we really did make an impact on the way people think about entertaining at home, to keeping a home and decorating a home. To me that is very flattering. I try to help people understand that homemaking can be much nicer than once thought. Elevating homemaking to a higher level is nice, it shouldn’t be a drudgery it should be a pleasure.

Q: Martha it seems like you are in a new place everyday, how do you still find time do things you want? If you have a few hours of free time what would we find you doing?

A: I have redesigned a garden at my East Hampton house so I am very involved in that. Luckily you have email and photography to say yes or no to things. I go out there every spare moment. Sunday I got home at 5:08AM at Kennedy airport and we drove straight there to see the progress. It is important for the homemaker to make those decisions. You can leave a little up to other people but not a lot. I should’ve been a landscape architect, it’s one thing I love.

Q: There must be one thing that you really don’t want to do that you assign out?

A: I have housekeepers, I have to because I work so much. At my house in Bedford I live on a farm, I have a housekeeper that has worked with me for 27 years now. She was off for the last two weeks and I was left looking for this green silk dress I wanted to wear to a wedding. I never found it. I only wore it once and I don’t know where it is. I am sure it is under something but we looked everywhere. I don’t have time to vacuum. We have so many animals, we have to vacuum every day and I don’t have time for that.

Q: How do you think it’s best to entertain at parties with chidren?

A: I just finished my grand kids Chicka Boom Boom themed birthday party. It was very apropros and adorable. To pick a theme for a party is really nice. Next year my granddaughter requested a bagel themed party. (laughter)

Q: Is there a treat that they always request from their grandma?

A: Oh no, I am not allowed to make them anything that is a treat. I cannot give them jam or anything fun. Everything is healthy and vegetarian. (she told us earlier that her daughter is vegetarian)

By the end of the interview, we were all smiling and felt like we were truly friends. Martha even pulled out her ipad and showed us cute pictures of her grandkids at the Chicka Boom Boom party! Martha Stewart Collection merchandise is available at Macy’s and online. It is so cute and festive for the summer. Thanks to Martha for a fun afternoon!

B&B

I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere has provided me with compensation with this post for the Macy’s Martha Stewart event. However, as always, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.

London Top 10

Sam and I are still trying to process all of the things we saw on our European adventure, it was so amazing! We still like each other (yay) and we had such a fantastic time exploring together. I feel so lucky to have such a great travel partner. I know it sounds cheesy, but experiencing everything with Sam made it so much sweeter. To start things off, here are our Top 10 Sights to See in London!

#10 Buckingham Palace

It’s such an iconic and historical location, how can you miss this? One of the most fun things to see here is the Changing of the Guard that happens every day at 11:30am. I don’t know how those guards stand so still!

#9 Tower Bridge at night.

Magical. If you’re looking for a romantic evening stroll, head to the Tower Bridge. It is magnificently lit up at night and a great spot to wander around.

#8 Borough Market

Food Heaven. You would never guess we had traveled straight for 20 hours when we took this pic, right? When I lived in London, I don’t think I ever missed a Thursday at Borough. You MUST get the grilled cheese sandwich from the Kappacasein stand and we also splurged for the raclette because we were starving. Don’t even get me started on the chocolate… Some of the best food in London if you ask me. It’s also a great spot to go if you are touring St. Paul’s Cathedral because it’s right across the bridge.

#7 Lion King at Lyceum Theater (or any other show because they are all amazing)

Musicals are amazing, but musicals with British accents?! Basically nothing better. I always recommend going to the theater the day of and asking for their cheapest tickets. More often than not, they will offer you “partial view” seats, which usually mean really close but you can’t see one corner of the stage. We went to Lion King for 32 pounds each and sat in a box.

#6 Kensington Palace & Gardens

This is one of the most quintessentially British places you can visit. The perfectly manicured gardens are great for a morning run or an afternoon stroll. If you would like to spend some time there, I would recommend going to the Orangery for tea because it is straight out of a storybook. We tried to stalk Will & Kate, but couldn’t find them anywhere…

#5 South Bank

This is a fun area of London near the London Eye and aquarium that is filled with street performers, food trucks and fun restaurants. We got to hang out on a rooftop garden and tried out Giraffe restaurant (which sadly wasn’t that great).

#4 Trafalgar Square

The center of London. This is the best people watching location. On a sunny day in London town, there is really no place better to be.

#3 National Gallery

My favorite museum of all time. Sam had to endure quite a few hours of wandering, but lucky for him there are nice comfy couches everywhere. The building is gorgeous, clean and huge and displays two of my favorite artists’ work Monet and Degas. The water lily paintings are even prettier in person!

#2 Portobello Market

This is hands down the best market in London. It happens every Saturday on Portobello Road and is always packed. It is filled with antiques, London memorabilia, new clothing and lots of great food. Of course my favorite is the Portobello Crepes stand! Sam loves the bratwurst and middle eastern food.

#1 Big Ben & Parliament

It is so cool to see such an iconic site in person.

London will always have my heart, I just love the energy and vibe of the entire city. Please do not be alarmed if the next time you see me I have a little bit of an accent 🙂

Cheers,

Britt

Twin Travels: Hawaii

Sam and I had such a great time in Hawaii at the beginning of January.
We went to the Big Island and stayed in Kona.
Scroll down for my list of favorite things to do 🙂

{the Hawaii crew, so lucky to be a part of this family}

{my favorite place we went…. the Waipio Valley}

{i married a water baby. he was in the ocean 99% of the time}

{have you ever seen anything better? smelly wetsuits for everyone!}
Activities:
– Snorkeling: some of the best clearest water in the world! Captain Cook monument is probably the best and most popular spot.
– Waipio Valley: hands down the most beautiful place I have ever been. It is a pretty steep hike in, but so worth it! You get to spend the day on a black sand beach with wild horses and waterfalls.
– Manta Ray Dive: this was unfortunately a hilarious mistake. For about $100 per person, you are promised a dive with manta rays swimming all around you. We went on a night when the water was choppy and cold and only saw one tiny manta. My advice– check the weather before you go 🙂

Eats:
– Lava Lava Beach Club: my hands down favorite restaurant on the island. They have the BEST burger I have ever tasted. It is a blue cheese with guacamole and amazing sauces. They also have a yummy rice bowl that comes in a real pineapple. Amazing!
– Tex’s Drive In: Everyone else shared a few malasadas while I ate two huge ones! They were so tasty. You can watch them make the donut like treats right in front of you. It is located in Honokaa.

A big huge thank you to my amazing in laws for the trip of a lifetime that we will always remember!

– Britt

***All photos courtesy of my cutie photographer sister-in-law Annie 🙂

An Afternoon with Steve Madden

We got to interview mega designer Steve Madden on his first trip to Utah. He is in town for Sundance and an event at Nordstrom at Fashion Place Mall. He was much more down to earth than we were expecting. In Brooke’s words, “the complete opposite of Anna Wintour”.

Steve told us what it takes to start your own company, the trend he hates, and what he thinks of working with the Olsen twins.

You can read the full interview below.

B&B: IT’S YOUR FIRST TRIP TO SALT LAKE CITY, WHAT DO YOU THINK SO FAR?

SM: It’s great, I’m staying in Park City and it is beautiful.

B&B: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHILE YOU’RE HERE?

SM: We are just going to catch a few films, I leave Monday night.

B&B: THERE IS A HUGE CROWD DOWNSTAIRS WAITING TO MEET YOU, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT HAVING SUCH A HUGE FAN BASE IN UTAH?

SM: It’s unbelievable, there was a nice little article written about me yesterday in the Salt Lake Tribune, it’s great, it’s very nice. I’ve always thought it was a fashionable town. It really is. I always notice that, girls from Salt Lake are really cool.

(***Steve is happily married with 3 kids, so pretty sure he was being serious here and not just pouring on the sugar 🙂 ).

B&B: HOW DID YOU START YOUR BUSINESS?

SM: I started my business with $1,100 and I decided if it was 40 pairs of shoes I was going to sell that was it, and then it just pyramided.

B&B: HOW DO YOU STAY SO CONSISTENT? IT SEEMS LIKE NO MATTER THE YEAR OR SEASON, STEVE MADDEN IS ALWAYS IN STYLE.

SM: We’re insecure so we’re always working hard.

B&B: WHO DO YOU HAVE IN MIND WHEN YOU ARE DESIGNING?

SM: People that I work with, or more democratic, I don’t think of any stars or celebrities, I just try to make shoes people like to wear.

B&B: FAVORITE TREND?

SM: I like what you’re wearing.

(***He said this to Brooke was wearing a pair of Steve Madden studded boots)

B&B: ONE TREND YOU ARE SICK OF?

SM: Platform pumps. They are starting to look a little old to me. We sell them in our stores, but they’re starting to look a little old.

B&B: A TREND YOU WISH WOULD DISAPPEAR FOREVER?

SM: Sneakers

B&B: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BLOGGERS?

SM: I love it, it’s a great trend. Things are changing and it’s fine. I’m not a big “I like the old days” kind of guy. I would rather look at Wikipedia than the Encyclopedia. By the way, Wikipedia has my age wrong, i’m really 56, but Wikipedia says i’m 55.

B&B: WHAT IS A NORMAL DAY LIKE?

SM: I have a lot on my plate, but everybody has a lot on their plate and I really mean that. Whatever someone has going on in their life is important to them. I have a pretty big company and I have three young kids.

B&B: DO YOUR KIDS LIKE YOUR SHOES?

SM: My daughter, the darling who is named after me loves Skechers. (Face palm then laughs)

(*** By the way, his daughter is 6 years old.)

Then Steve turned the tables and asked us a few questions.

SM: You’re identical?

B&B: YES.

SM: Are the Olsens identical? (He works with Mary-Kate and Ashley on a very regular basis)

B&B: NO, THEY’RE FRATERNAL (WE KNOW THIS BECAUSE WE THOUGHT WE WERE MARY-KATE AND ASHLEY GROWING UP)

SM: Well, the Olsens look 100% more alike than you to do. You look very different from each other.

So, as you can tell Steve is a down to earth, nice and normal guy. The best part is that he is one of maybe three people in the world that think we look nothing alike 🙂

Life as a Viral Sensation

To say that the past 2 weeks have been a whirlwind is a major understatement. I have been pulled in a million different directions talking to media around the world. I never knew passing out during a live shot would bring me so many interesting opportunities! Two weeks ago, I was just doing my job on a Saturday morning as a reporter for KUTV in Salt Lake City, when I completely passed out on air. I was getting a lesson in cross country skiing up in the cold, Utah mountains. What you didn’t see on screen was me telling the producer during the commercial break that I was not feeling well and please do not come to me. Well, due to the fact that we were in the mountains, we had a bad connection and she did not hear me. So, I passed out on live TV and the clip has now gone viral with millions of views. I have received thousands of thoughtful messages from people as far away as India, New Zealand, Norway, and England. This homegrown girl from Utah is definitely feeling the love.

Here are a few photos to give you a peek into my life since my fainting video went viral.

This was my crazy set-up for Entertainment Tonight with Nancy O’Dell. I had to communicate with Nancy over a speaker phone while still looking into the camera ahead of me. It was a doozy 🙂 I have always loved watching Nancy and it was fun to chat with her and see her own bloopers from her local news days! You can watch the interview HERE starting at 16:12.

I was thrilled to get a call from CNN. Being a newsie I have always admired their on-air product and was excited to see how things work behind-the-scenes. They treated me like a princess! They sent a driver in a town car to pick me up from my house (!!). Then I was taken to their studio downtown where a stylist was waiting for me to do my hair and makeup. It was glorious! The anchors from New Day were so great and probably my favorite interview that I have done. You can watch it HERE.

For my interview with CBS This Morning a photographer came to my house. It was nice to be relaxed in my own space. I thought they did a nice piece on the whole incident and were very kind with their comments. A shout out from Oprah’s BFF Gayle King is always a fun surprise! You can watch the interview HERE.

I also got to interview with people in Australia. My face looks a little confused because there were 3 anchors talking in my ear at the same time with Aussie accents! I loved hearing from them and they were so funny. There was a 3-second delay since Australia is a little far away, but overall the interview was really fun. You can watch it HERE.

Last but not least, I got to talk to a scout troop about being in the media. I wasn’t sure how interested 8-year-old boys would be in a girl, but they were an excellent crowd! I was asked to be the guest speaker for their media night and my topic was having a positive attitude in the middle of a mishap. (surprise!) It was so fun to hear their questions and remember what it was like to be a kid.

Overall, this experience has been really eye-opening. My hope is renewed in society. I have been inundated with sweet emails, phone calls, and messages from complete strangers. The world is a great place. Who knows what will come next! Thank you for all your support. I want everyone to know that I am completely fine. I’ve been checked out by doctors and they say it was a combination of me coming down with the flu and having altitude sickness. I’m so glad it wasn’t something more serious. Crazily enough, Britt and I have actually both passed out before while skiing because we do get altitude sickness quite often when we’re in the mountains. So, this was just the first time someone recorded it 🙂 Thanks again for all of your concern and kind words on my behalf.

Here are a few of my favorite articles and mashup videos:

Youtube Mashup & A Rap Mashup

Death and Taxes

The Fainting Spell

Being the good sister she is, Britt took a screenshot of the BIG FALL on her TV while watching the playback!

Reporter Brooke Graham Faints on Live Television During Report

Guys, I passed out during a live shot on the Saturday morning show. As in, went down HARD on live TV! Such a crazy experience. A lot of people have expressed concern and well wishes and I really appreciate it.

I would like to explain what happened…

and why you shouldn’t be too worried that I am pregnant, anorexic, diabetic, etc… at this point I have heard it all.

This is not the first time I have passed out cold.

I am known to faint any time I am in high altitudes and get too cold (so does my twin sister Britt) It started when we were in middle school and doing the Utah ski program. It is not a pleasant experience. You get sick to your stomach, body aches, and everything starts to spin, and then things go quiet.

On this particular morning…

I woke up feeling quite nauseous after staying out late the night before and waking up at 4:30 am to be ready for the show and to get up the canyon in time for my report. After about 10 minutes outside in the canyon I felt the familiar effects of altitude and cold begin… things started to spin, I felt unsteady, and everything was getting softer and softer. I tried to warn the producer back at the station that I was not well and would need to sit down and take a minute to recoup… however, she did not get my message and the cameramen pointed the camera in my direction with the red light ON. I knew I had to give it my best try even though I could feel my consciousness slipping away. You can see on the video what happens after that!

I plan to go get checked out by a doctor and get to the bottom of it. (Update: I did and here is the analysis)

I have been wanting to get a professional medical opinion on what is causing this to happen. It seems when I combine freezing temperatures and high altitude my body reacts in this way and reverts to fainting.

In the meantime, we can all laugh at the craziness of the situation!

I have laughed many times watching this video and I do not want anyone to feel bad if they find themselves chuckling as I go down like a tree in the forest! I feel like someone should dub Keisha “Timber” over it and play the fall in slow motion. (update: dozens of videos were made from this, including a special meme on your iPhone of me fainting if you ever need it! Didn’t think I would ever be one of those.)

I was surprised that…

Media outlets around the world began applauding my efforts for continuing the interview from the ground and shared very kind words with me. It is not every day that you see the anchors of the Today Show watching your report and giving you props for doing your best. I have since received thousands of emails and messages from people around the world.

Special thanks to…

My two sisters who immediately called my cell phone after watching the report live at their homes. My older sister, Heather, who sweetly told me it wasn’t too noticeable and things would blow over…Hahaha! And then Britt, who told me it was going to reach YouTube in a couple of hours and helped me laugh along with her as we prepared for dozens of international interviews over the next few days including the Today Show in NYC, the Today Show in Australia, BBC in England, and CNN morning show along with countless other phone interviews.

I also want to give a big shout out to

Richard, President of the Nordic Alliance, who was with me all morning. He handled the situation so gracefully and was so sweet and made sure I was okay. I could feel myself getting light headed and tried to warn the producer that I was sick but due to the bad service in the canyon they were not notified. After I went down I sat up and had no idea how long I had been out but saw the camera pointed at my face and decided to keep on talking! It has been a wild ride but I am so grateful for my health, kind people, and the ability to laugh at ourselves!

And last but not least, my husband!

At the time of the fainting incident, we had just begun our dating journey. When he heard what had happened he rushed over to my house with this balloon and I knew he was a good catch! He has been the most supportive and loving partner throughout my TV journey.

Halloween Costume Ideas!

Halloween is pretty much our version of the Super Bowl.

The costume prep and anticipation cannot be beat!

We are known to have about 3 or 4 costumes ready each year just because we love it so much. If you need one, just call 🙂

So drumroll please… here are Halloween costume ideas for 2013.

Flapper:

This is a great go-to and it involves nothing that you don’t want to wear again.Here are the supplies you will need:

– Forever 21 dress (or any plain black dress)

– Fringe from a craft store

– black headband

– feather boa + pearls optional

Wolf or Fox

(or whatever animal you feel like)

By this point in time we have all seen “What did the fox say?” so you might as well let your pop culture prowess show in a timely (and warm) costume!

Supplies you will need:

– fur coat (this one is from H&M and can be worn AFTER Halloween too!)

– black leggings, shirt and gloves

– black fox ears (made with two triangle black pieces of paper taped to a black headband)

– MAKEUP: I used black powder. You must do the awesome makeup to complete the look. Just make sure you have a good brush.

Minnie Mouse

This costume is cute and great for any age.

Supplies you will need:

– polka dot top or dress

– sparkly mouse ears

– red and white polka dot skirt

– white gloves***Big thanks to Rachel for her help putting together this costume 🙂

Hunter or Duck Dynasty

Duck Dynasty is bound to be the most popular costume of the year and it just happens to be hunting season so either way you will be on trend! I know I look like a much too believable man in this picture…

Supplies you will need:

– Camo everything (including our most favorite Target camo pants)

– fake beard (I used my awesome Beard Hat)

– ridiculous hat

– extra points if you have a duck calling thingy
– and of course your hands in gun position all night 🙂

Spider

We always like to throw in one creepy Halloween creature of some sort and this one is so easy!

Supplies you will need:

– cobwebs from the craft store

– black tinsel from the craft store
– plastic spiders

– all black clothing

– black eyeliner (super easy to draw a spider web on the side of your face, I suggest using a large black eyeliner crayon)

Boxer

How about a comfy costume where you can stay in workout clothes?

Supplies Needed:

– black tanktop

– swishy shorts

– robe

– boxing gloves

– an awesome fake bruise on one eye

Happy Halloweening! What is your favorite costume of all time?

Hawaii

Sam and I got the best Christmas present ever this year; going on a family vacation with the Haslams to Hawaii.

My body is still craving humid air, sunshine and sand in my toes.

After Brooke lived in Hawaii for a summer, she raved about how gorgeous it is and now I finally understand.

{sunsets to die for}

{amazingly cool beaches}

{sam jumping off our snorkel boat into perfectly blue water}

{yummy food}

{my M-I-L and I learned the Hukilau at dinner one night}

{stunning views}

{this is a picture of someone who just lot their swimsuit bottoms in the ocean. seriously. they flew off when i was boogie boarding. sam tried to go find them, but they are still floating in the Hawaiian ocean :)}

{thankfully my sister in law Annie had an extra pair of shorts… }

Hawaii take me back!

Last Minute Halloween Costumes

Doublemint Twins:

We have wanted to do this costume since we were about 5 years old so we decided 2012 was the year. This costume is really easy to pull off. We found our green sweater dresses at Old Navy and then made some white collars and head bands.

Here are our top 5 last minute costumes!