Hey Minnesota.  Happy Snow Day!  Get out there and do something fun.

Continue reading “Snow Day” »

Hopefully, all of you are settled into your couches, watching the lead-up to the game.  If not, and you have yet to run to the store, here are some quick and easy ideas that I think you’ll love.  It’s a small sampling of what will be in my tv room today and it starts out with my favorite beef sandwiches by Barefoot Contessa.  (Of course , I dumbed it down a bit, by leaving the truffle out.  However, if you’ve got some around, by all means.) 

Also on the menu:

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

Veggie Platter

Caprese Salad

Shoot me a comment if you’d like me to pass along ideas and recipes for those as well!

 Eat a lot and have a great time today!

-Michelle

Here’s an update to my latest post about the famous Globe Elevator in Minnesota. This Save the Globe article further explains the current struggle to salvage this material and  shows you how you can help.  Each contribution earns you a piece of our country’s history, with a great story behind it.

Truly, no gift is too small and a token of appreciation will be sent to you (note that there are limited numbers of these unique gifts).  And if you’re able to be $2500 generous, you can ride in the crane basket with Mike and help cut, rig, and drop a section of the Globe Elevator. (If you don’t like heights, you can be Allan’s co-pilot in the crane cab.) Then have lunch with Ax Men cast members at the world-famous Anchor Bar in beautiful downtown Superior, Wisconsin. This perk includes a signed 8X10 photo of the Woodchuck crew as seen in Ax Men on HISTORY and a Basic Thank-You Package.

To help, click here.

I know this Sunday you’ll all be watching the Superbowl.  But next Sunday is the first of four more episodes of Ax Men on the History Channel, continuing the story of the grain elevator.  I hope you’ll watch.

 Thanks!

Michelle

I love hearing from you, so please say hello in my comment box!

I was thrilled to learn today that BeDe was included in Houzz’s Best of 2013 in the design category!  You can read the press realease here.

In the coming months, I promise to share with you photos of new projects that will inspire you.   As always, I welome your comments and ideas, so feel free to share!

Thank you!

Michelle

I won’t lie, I was thrilled to see two of my projects in print this fall.  Lake Country Journal did a beautiful spread on my cabin.   I keep every issue of this publication, so it was fun to see something of mine in there.

Also scattered all over my home are stacks of old, dog-eared MSP Magazines that we refuse to throw away.  Never know when I’m going to have to refer back to something I saw by Jennifer Blaise Kramer or find a restaurant review.  This fall they were kind enough to include me in their series Trade Secrets.

In 2013 some of my projects will appear in national publications and you know for a fact that I’ll tell you where you can pick up a copy (and perhaps give you a sneak peek).

To end my 2012 with a bang, I found out  beso will be bringing me along with them to the Altitude Design Summit in a few weeks.  I’ll bring back lots of good stuff to share with you!

If you are still reading this, I cannot believe it.  I’m almost done.

To my customers who have let us invade their homes for photo shoots, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I am truly fortunate that lasting friendships have spun out of so many of my projects.  And there’s always room for more.  This year I will begin working on some fabulous homes, both Home+Away, and cannot wait to share the photos with you in 2013.

And last, but not least, this year I will be coming to you from a new location at the International Market Square building in Minneapolis.  Ready for some change and a little elbow room.

So c’mon 2013.  Let’s do this.

Love,

Michelle

BeDe is grateful for the sweet spread in this month’s Mpls St Paul Magazine.  If you don’t subscribe, take a look here and we think you will.  Can’t handle commitments?  It’s okay.  You can pick up a single copy or order a back issue by contacting the MSP folks here.

For spring break this year we went to Belize and stayed in a small, 20 room resort, Blancaneaux Lodge.  The lodge is tucked in the mountains under a lush canopy of green and is just a short horseback ride away from a swim in the waterfall.  There are only two small restaurants in the resort, but they are spectacular.  All of the produce was grown down the road from our villa in a hillside organic garden on the property.

The soaps, shampoos, and lotions were organic and locally produced and by the end of the trip I vowed to create a natural environment in my home—add it to the to-do list.  That meant a bit of an overhaul of the cleaning and laundering products around my house. It took a few tries to find just the right blend, so I thought I’d share these with you.  If you haven’t yet and are thinking maybe you ought to, join a co-op in your neighborhood and give these products a try.   Continue reading “My natural home (almost)” »

Photo

Over the past few weeks, I’ve clocked way too many hours on the pontoon, and definitely not enough in the running shoes.  Oh well.  I’m on a hot streak now, so I’m just going to roll with it.  But I’m thinking about stepping up my game a little and starting to eat and drink things that I didn’t buy at the gas station.   Here’s how it’s going to look…

Continue reading “A Pontoon Picnic” »