GRAMMYS GIFT LOUNGE

Every year we look forward to checking out the GRAMMYS Gift Lounge by Distinctive Assets. In a nutshell, it is an impeccably designed lounge where musicians gather to pick up their swag bags. This year we were pleasantly surprised with the variety of products. There was everything from mini robots that can dance to your music to under eye wrinkle removers made out of 24 karat gold. Stars also received extravagant freebies like all-inclusive trips to Vegas worth more than $10,000 and custom Gibson guitars. Here is a peak into everything we were able to try out today!

A mom from the Midwest was chosen as the interior decorator for the event. She recycles materials to make amazing things. Check out her piano waterfall masterpiece below!

Popular products from Asia always make their way into the gifting suite. This year it happened to be facial strips infused with REAL gold. GIFTLOUNGE14

The Gibson guitar booth is a favorite of ours, this year we especially loved the teal guitar. Now if only we could learn how to play one…?Britt picked out some adorable sunglasses that Anne Hathaway had grabbed a few hours prior to our visit.

One of the quirkier booths was all about bow ties. The creators were very down to earth and were thrilled to tell us that Steven Tyler had picked up a few of their products earlier in the day. And last but not least Britt got a massage with lotion from Japan that promises to give skin a smoother appearance and get rid of cellulite in less than a month. We’ll let you know if it worked 🙂

All in all it has been a fabulous day ending with a sunset at the Santa Monica beach pier. We are so excited to hit the red carpet tomorrow. Stay tuned for updates throughout the big show!

Grammy Glam Squad

We have already had quite the whirlwind of a day. It began at 6:00am at H2Blow Dry Bar in Foothill Village. The sweet girls were the best glam squad we could have asked for! They did protein treatments on our hair, washed it, and then made it bouncy and beautiful! Seriously, their combination of products does something magical to hair. And there is hands down nothing better in this entire world than having someone else blow dry your hair so you don’t have to…

Then, fabulous makeup artist Elyse made it look like we were actually awake! She gave me a fun smokey eye with a pink lip. For Brooke, she did a winged liner with the prettiest burgundy lip. It is so much fun to be pampered and we love the girls at H2Blow Dry Bar!

One thing they taught me last time they did my hair is the importance of root lifter… what is root lifter you ask? It is one of their magical hair products that gives you major volume. I now use it every day, without fail because my hair has never been the same. HERE is the brand that they introduced me to.

If you want more information about H2Blow Dry Bar, go HERE

They are located in Foothill Village in Salt Lake City.

Twin Tested: The Fainting Mystery

After getting hundreds of messages from viewers wondering what caused my fainting spell on live TV I decided to go and get checked out. The whole situation made me a little nervous, but I took Britt along with me because she has experienced the same symptoms (and she provides great moral support)! We met with Dr. Jeffrey Anderson from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute who had us both get an EKG. If you haven’t had one before, like me, I was surprised to find out the process is really quick, simple, and pain-free! Thankfully, the results came back positive and we just have a high sensitivity to cold weather. Overall, our hearts are healthy and we do not have to worry about any special treatment. Dr. Anderson said we need to be careful when we spend time outside in arctic temperatures, I guess that means that we will have to plan more trips to Hawaii? 🙂

Brittany-Amy-1

As a little anecdote here are a few diagnoses I have gotten from viewers that made me laugh:

– I am pregnant: What a great story that would be! I am NOT pregnant, sorry to disappoint.

– I planned the entire fainting spell: If only I was this good at knowingly creating a viral video, watch out for part 2 😉

– I just need to eat more sugar: I love everything from cookies to cinnamon rolls – so maybe I should work on doing the opposite?

– I have an eating disorder: I have a major love for food and I honestly pride myself in taking good care of my body with a (mostly) healthy diet and exercise.

– I have SVT, SADS, or that I might die tomorrow: I am so relieved that I am not going to die!! But honestly, I appreciate all of the well wishes and kind words. Fainting can obviously be a serious concern. If you have any questions about your own health, go and see your doctor.

*All photos courtesy of Intermountain Medical Center*

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.

A Day at Tiffany & Co.

Dreams really do come true.

That’s what we thought when Tiffany & Co. at City Creek asked if we would like to come in and take a look at their collections.

We said yes (duh). Feeling all Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but a little more Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama, we headed into the most beautiful shop at City Creek.

We got to try on whatever we wanted (!!!), so of course we decided to do a little Steal or Splurge get up.

Tanzanite ring $8,500; Bracelets $21,400 each; platinum diamond sprinkle chain $7,500; Tiffany engagement ring $21,300;

Zigfield band $175; Pearl ring $475; Atlas bangle $875; 80 inch pearls $1,000; Black Spinel bracelet $225; pearl bracelets $275; Atlas pendant $325; Tiffany blue Clutch $950

Are you dying over the Enchant Scroll Earrings? They felt so fancy! SPLURGE: Britt’s total ensemble: $150,000.00

STEAL: Brooke’s total ensemble: $3,000

Britt was decked out in some major bling including a gorgeous Tanzanite ring and the Diamond Daisy Key Necklace. Brooke was able to pick out some show stopping items from their new line inspired by “The Great Gatsby”. We loved how well everything sparkles and how they truly make timeless jewelry pieces. Even if you don’t have handfuls of cash to spend on jewelry you can still find a wide range of gorgeous options under $200 and the people at Tiffany are SO nice!

Last but not least the afternoon would not have been possible without the extremely talented Ashlee Brooke. She is so much fun and has talent exploding out of her. If you need a photo session book her ASAP! http://ashleebrookephotography.com/

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?

Twin Tested: Halloween Party

{Brooke’s 1st grade Halloween costume}

There is pretty much nothing we love more than a good Halloween party! We look forward to the costumes and treats all year long. We were lucky enough to grow up with a creative mom who showed us some fun ways to celebrate and we wanted to share a few of our favorite party ideas with you.

Homemade Black Sparkly Playdoh

This first recipe comes courtesy of our mama J. She is a preschool teacher at Holladay Preschool in Salt Lake City and has perfected her very own playdoh recipe. This stuff is WAY better than the store bought version and can be stored for up to a month.

Homemade Playdoh Recipe:
5 cups water
2.5 cups salt
5 tbs alum or cream of tartar
5 tbs crisco oil
4 cups of flour
4 tbs of watercolor paint

Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in salt, alum, and oil. Stir in flour 1 cup at a time. Mix well. Add paint. You can also add Kool Aid, cinnamon, glitter or anything else you think would add to the color or smell of the dough!

Peanut Butter Taffy

This stuff is addicting… and just happens to be easily molded into any creepy or crawly thing you want. We chose to make witches fingers by adding candy corn to the end as a fingernail. As kids (and adults) we can’t get enough of this stuff – and there are only 3 ingredients in it!

Taffy Recipe:
1 cup of peanut butter
3/4 cup of honey
1 cup of powdered milk

Stir all ingredients together. Add more powdered milk if it is too sticky. Should be playdoh consistency. Store in the refrigerator. Shape into whatever you would like!

Glowing green witches brew

As you’ll notice we keep things really simple. We like to be festive but realize that there is only 24 hours in a day. So this one is super easy. We just bought some green glow sticks at the party store put them underneath some dry ice and voila! You have a big bowl of glowing green witches brew.

The pumpkin drink holder

So simple yet so festive! It is also a fun way to display those pumpkins that you work so hard to carve. We found some orange sodas to go along with the theme.

Twin Travels: South Carolina

Sam and I were lucky enough to take a fun trip to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

I basically fell in love with the gorgeous, picturesque town.

Our favorite Hilton Head Places:

Rita’s: the most amazing Italian Ice + custard you will ever have. We went there 6 nights out of 7 (seriously!). It is that good. Lucky for Utah, they opened a Rita’s in Union Park just a few weeks ago. If you haven’t been yet, run now!!!
Harbor Town: the most beautiful picturesque little seaside town. It has a lighthouse, great burgers, gorgeous yachts, jumping dolphins and a spectacular view.
Intercoastal Canals: these are the magical Notebook canals. You can rent kayaks or canoes and float down the glassy water.
Beaches: Go to any of them and you will get wide open spaces, warm water and smooth sand.
Low Country Backyard Restaurant: Yummy, delicious southern food. Favorites include: baked mac & cheese, cornbread, breaded chicken, meatloaf and…. the banana pudding. Tastes like Magnolia’s.. so good!

It’s a beautiful place and I can’t wait to go back!

– Britt

Reporter Brooke Graham Faints on Live Television During Report

I would like to explain what happened…

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

On this particular morning…

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)

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

I was surprised that…

Special thanks to…

I also want to give a big shout out to

And last but not least, my husband!

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