Design Gives Back

MIRACLE MAKEOVER VIDEO: Art & Color Help Boy Recover From Cancer

Watch this video & BE HAPPY! You can watch full-screen by clicking the four arrows in the right corner of the window. 

   ~September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month~

St. Louis, Missouri-based McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. and Friends of Kids with Cancer  partnered with Design Gives Back to create this colorful and hope-filled  " miracle makeover." To learn more about Charlie's condition, NF-1, go here, to Neurofibromatosis, Inc. To read the entire story as featured in Guideposts: America's #1 Inspirational Magazine go HERE.

 

Meet Charlie's big brother, Liam, above, on the reveal video. It will be the best few minutes of your day. This video could be that surprise you need, the message that has been sent, a sign meant just for you! It moves fast and our reviews say "it is wonderful." Take this time for yourself to be inspired. Then, feel free to embed it, pass along the goodness, or post on FACEBOOK or a blog.

          

 

    

            ABOVE: Liam & Charlie's room before the makeover.

 

                        
 

To See Katie's Room Go Here & Also Find Out More About The Process ~ If you are new (Welcome!) & want to know more on Design Gives Back, go HERE  

      

The Art Therapy Blog posted this story. What an honor! Go HERE to see a brief video clip  of the art therapy process with Charlie.

DESIGN GIVES BACK 2011 AWARD WINNER: Enchanted Makeovers!

Design Gives Backtm is happy to announce our 2011 Award Recipient: Enchanted Makeovers for their shelter makeover at Alternatives for Girls. Watch the video of the project here. Stop by and see the beautiful work of founder Terry Grahl and her talented and kind volunteers. Enchanted Makeovers will receive a $500 prize from Design Gives Back to be used in the coming year for another makeover project.  

                            

Emmy's Heart: Creativity Changes things....

The DGB Team would like to give a shout-out to Emmy's Heart, a terrific group that makes capes and tutus for sick kids. Playtime and make-believe is therapy and respite; handmade costume pieces bring smiles to kids in-treatment and their caregivers, alike. Donate and find out more here. Creativity can change things!  Alex, shown below,  is superhero of the week.

                                                            

GOOD NEWS NETWORK: THANK-YOU FOR FEATURING MIRACLE MAKEOVER!

                                           

Much appreciation to Geri-Weis Corbley, Editor-In-Chief of the Good News Network for this feature story.

 "Thanks to Kelee for her great work... The video is one of the most outstanding I've seen in a long time. Congrats!...Love you guys!" -- Geri

Geri Weis-Corbley
Editor, Publisher
The Good News Network
http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org

 DGB Team Post 

DESIGN AFFIRMATIONS: Creating Gratitude for Thanksgiving Week

                      

THE POWER OF POSITIVE: Actions of gratitude -- for the health that we do have, even when it is challenged -- help to create wellbeing in the future. Join Colette in creative action by making a visual reminder of a positive thought. 

You may remember Colette. I went to her small town in Michigan to do a "Miracle Makeover" in her home; providing her with a "healing room" during her very difficult chemo series. Well, she is through chemo and is living life one grateful day-at-a-time. For the last two years! Yes, it has been two years longer than the dire pronouncement the doctors had given her. One of the processes I did with Colette was a color meditation and art therapy session in which she painted this affirmation.... " I am well in every cell..." If you are feeling a little achey, or blue, just try saying it to yourself. If you are feeling just fine, you can try it too. Gratitude makes us feel better and tells our cells that they are truly well. I hope you have a beautiful Thanksgiving week. Know that Colette and I appreciate you and your kind thoughts throughout this journey. Colette's story -- and room -- were published in Guideposts Magazine: True Stories of Hope & Inspiration.

TRY THIS LITTLE PROJECT: Get out some markers, colored pencils, or crayons. Also, a piece of paper or scrap. Write the above affirmation or create a gratitude statement of your own. Then, ask your heart for a color to represent your gratitude. Wait a minute and a color will pop-in to your mind! You don't have to think -- your heart will tell you what it wants ... doodle a design around the words using your gratitude color. Fix it to your refrigerator for Thanksgiving week. 

WELCOME & hugs to my friends visiting from the blog parties Spiritual Sunday, Pink Saturday & Metamorphosis Monday! I am grateful for you and your positive light throughout the worldwide web.

POSTED: Kelee Katillac

GARDENING GIVES BACK: Fall Herb Harvest for Holiday Potpourri Giving

                      

 

I am an "accidental gardener." If it lives and thrives it is nature doing the work. Gardening has never been a highly conscious activity for me; I don't plan or labor over it too much. The rest of my creative design world is about concepts, theory,  and planning. A day in the "green" allows me to just go with it; an exercise of intuition and surrender. Sure, the right amounts of nitrogen or phosphate, scientifically applied, can't hurt. Interestingly, it should be noted, the more kindly I care for them the better they do. It seems that everything on the planet responds to the sunlight of love and good intentions. In fact, the more positive my thoughts are about my plantings, the faster they grow!  I used to say "I am the Dr. Kervorkian of gardening" and that appeared to be true. They drooped and withered.  I now shower my little friends with optimistic touches and have become the "Florence Nightingale" of herbs.  This year I have a wonderful bounty to use in cooking and to dry for potpourri. 

                   Basic Potpourri

In a small bowl put your fixative which is orris root.
(Orris Root helps to hold the scent, this is why it is called a fixative)
Now is the time to add any other powders like cinnamon, or nutmeg, or other spices.
Add 7-9 drops of fragrance oil or essential oil per 1 tablespoon of orris root.
Mix this together really well and then store in an airtight container for 1-7 days. 
The longer you store the stronger it gets.

After your orris root has cured , mix your other ingredients together.
Add your orris root fixative to the other dry ingredients
Place in an airtight container and leave in a dark place for 4-6 weeks.
Shake the container daily
After the curing time, transferr the potpourri to your decorative container of choice.

 

               

Above, clockwise from center left: boxwood basil, rosemary, lavender and blooming italian basil. Click on Orris Root, above, to order the preservative from Eden Botanicals. Here is one potpourri recipe I intend to use for holiday giving:                                                        

                                                                                     Lady Victorian
                                                                                        lavender buds
                                                                                   rosebuds and petals
                                                                                        colored babu
                                                                                   angel wings colored
                                                                                  straw flowers colored
                                                                         scent with lavender or rose or musk

Lavender Aroma Therapy Healing: This scent is known for its ability to calm nerves and relieve stress. What a great gift to give anyone in our frenzied world! And especially during the holidays.

Happy Pink Saturday & Metamorphosis Monday, friends! I have missed you. Don't you just love those pink basil blossoms?

POSTED: Kelee Katillac

DESIGN HEROES: Editor-in-Chief Edward Grinnan & Guideposts Magazine

Edward Grinnan, Editor-in-Chief of Guideposts Magazine, recently accepted his "Design Hero Award" from Design Gives Back. We thank all of the Guideposts' team for bringing Charlie's Miracle Makeover story to eight million readers during the month of August. Thank-you to Senior Editor Celeste McCauley, as well.

Edward Grinnan's personal story is chronicled in his 2011 book The Promise of Hope. We highly recommend it.

 

Posted: DGB Team

Volunteer of The Week: Crew Leader Mike Whitney of Masonic Pathways

                              

For Colette's Miracle Makeover carpenter Mike Whitney was our MVP. Mike led the remodel team and was tireless in his efforts to meet our goals. We are grateful to our sponsor Masonic Pathways for providing Mike as a team leader for the entire makeover process. We love ya Mike!

Post: DGB Team 

Volunteer of The Week: Theresa Lemke

 

Colette Gauthier's Miracle Makeover would have been impossible without the help of Theresa Lemke of Masonic Pathways. She acted as Michigan coordinator for the event. Thank-you Theresa for your big-hearted efforts on behalf of Colette!

 

NATIONAL BREAST CANCER MONTH: Can Color Cure Cancer? A Positive Story & Miracle Makeover

 

UPDATE: Colette was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. She was given a few months to live. This Miracle Makeovertm occurred a short time later. Kelee Katillac began working with Colette using color and art therapy. For the past two years Colette has done beautifully and credits her room makeover and the therapy techniques with helping her to survive and thrive. She has even taught the "Katillac Color Method" to other cancer patients. To view another recent makeover go here.   DGBTeam 10/3/2011

WATCH THE VIDEO FULL SCREEN: You can watch "The Makeover Reveal Video," above, on your full computer screen by clicking on the white asterick icon on the lower right of the video screen. 

TO EMBED THIS VIDEO, SHARE OR EMAIL IT: Click on "Inspired Home/Miracle Makeover in the top left corner -- it will give you Vimeo and you can click and embed there.

          
 

 Design Changes Things: When a room is falling apart, and we are also feeling physically or mentally down, it's easy to believe that things are hopeless. For Colette Gauthier, a cancer patient, this was especially true. So, in two and a half days, and on a tiny budget, we set out to change things. Transforming her rental house bedroom from bleak to beautiful helped her through chemotherapy. The restored and renewed space filled her with hope. A visual reminder that healing is possible for our homes and lives....that miracles do happen. For all of Colette's story go to Guideposts Magazine on-line or go to Target or Barnes & Noble for the monthly edition. See the dreary "before" of the room -- and the challenges we faced -- on the reveal video.

 

Yes, the bed you see transformed here, is Colette's hospital bed, shown left. We started with a thrifty wood headboard. After tracing the shape, I cut batting and fabric to upholster the inner edge.Using a stapler I fixed both in place. The edge was finished with trim. The full tutorial is in the Guideposts' feature story. New bead-board cabinets and wainscoting were added to create the "canopy niche," and to establish a cottage feeling. Eric Thomas handmade the charming cabinets.

A New Focal Point: The canopy bed wall is certainly the "design" focal point of the room. However, when you are spending a lot of time in bed, recuperating, the ceiling becomes the literal focal point; where the eyes go most often. And, the ceiling was a patched together mess. We used linen drop cloths and 1" x 6" boards to create a fresh cottage background for Colette's "light of hope."

 

The Power of Words: The doctor told Colette that she had a 5-15% chance of survival. How dare he! I set-out to replace his negative pronouncement with life affirmations. I asked Colette to list her life values and intentions. We then incorporated them into the design. Watch the process on the makeover reveal video. Thank-you Hobby Lobby for these "positive plaques" that became valances.

Photos Copyright Design Gives Back 2011                                   

Colette and I thank-you, with full hearts, for your kind thoughts, prayers, cards and comments. Readers, we appreciate that you took the time to share this journey with us. Our host bloggers originally brought so many good comments and shined light on this project. Thank-you. Thank-you. All of your positive energy gave us courage and creativity when we needed it the most.  This project would have been impossible without the help from our donors and volunteers. Please note all the credits on the video. A special thank-you to Jennifer Hanson and Theresa Lemke. The two were heaven sent. Thank-you also to the team from Masonic Pathways that helped with the remodel. See our featured volunteers below. 

              

 

HEADBOARD DIY STEPS: Click on photos to enlarge. Pattern making, batting added, fabric and trim. Thank-you Jennifer Hanson for your help demonstrating these steps!

Metamorphosis Monday Friends thanks for stopping by! Leave us a comment and let us know you were here-- because we LOVE and APPRECIATE you!

MEDIA: Featured at Over 500 Outlets Worldwide

Following-up on recent media inquiries, we would like to direct those that are interested to our right sidebar for a brief logo list. The work of Kelee Katillac has been featured widely on television networks, the internet, in-print and syndication. For a bio and team listing go to The Design Gives Back Team. If you need a press kit or would like to speak with our media rep, email us at the top right. 

            

 Post: DGB Media