from the source
We're back! We took the summer break to rest, reflect, and recharge. We spent time with our children, family, and friends, and even travelled a bit. After our show aired, we received many inquiries about our background as business partners and as a married couple. It was enjoyable to browse through old pictures that I found to share with you. To be completely honest, it all started in a 10' x 24' one car garage, turned studio apartment in Queens, NY. We'll share that story another time.Our life has been filled with diverse experiences in different places and cultures. Mike lived in different parts of Massachusetts and his family lived in Africa for a few years. I grew up in Boston, and was raised by parents who migrated from the West Indies. My father is from Grenada, and mother is from Tobago. Mike and I met right before I entered my freshman year of college, and Mike going into his junior year of college. He had come home during school break and we met at a roof top party the summer of 2005. Within a blink of an eye, summer had ended and we went our separate ways for college. After five years, fate brought us back together. We dated for nine months, engaged for nine months, and then he proposed to me. Full disclosure: there isn't any significance with the number nine. It just turned out that way! We lived in Queens, NY, then decided to buy our first home in Jersey City, NJ. In this humble 742-square-foot duplex, meticulously renovated on a tight budget, we crafted our vision while I was pregnant with Ellis, our first born. It was in this small city duplex that the foundation for The Perfect Vignette was laid. However, as our family grew, we recognized that the space constraints were becoming impractical. It was a tough decision for me but we had to say goodbye to our home, find a new place, and moving close to family in the Boston area made sense.
In December 2019, we moved into our second home, outside of Boston, just two weeks before Christmas. But then, we didn't expect the world to suddenly come to a halt after living there for three months. We still had work in New Jersey, so we traveled back and forth carefully to visit job sites and make small changes to our new home. Pictured below: working during the pandemic, and doing small upgrades to our home.
On May 1, 2020, the wife of a TV producer contacted me, saying she found my Instagram and liked my designs and family. She asked if I ever considered having a show or being on one. If interested, her husband wanted to talk to me. I didn't get excited, I took a deep breath and slowly closed my laptop after reading the email because I was trying to process everything. Prior to this, two other production companies approached me in the span of four weeks. It felt surreal and a bit confusing. After in-depth conversations with Mike, research on production companies, and a lot of prayer, finally, I said yes! It's funny because while we were making the sizzle video, I couldn't stop talking about Mike. He has always been my number one fan when it came to any endeavor that I took on. Especially, when I started The Perfect Vignette. The producer wanted to meet Mike and it was clear that the show would entail the two of us, and sprinkle in the dads, who you all love! I was pregnant with Luca, our third son, when the film crew came out to create the sizzle. The sizzle video basically captures our story in eight minutes that actually took two 10 hour days to shoot. HGTV loved it, leading us to a six-episode series called Fix My Frankenhouse.Pictured below: shooting the sizzle video.
We had a wild time filming the first season of Fix My Frankenhouse. It was both fun and challenging. We will always be grateful for this experience and are excited to see what the future holds. We deeply appreciate your support and are eager to share more. Don't hesitate to ask us questions or suggest topics in the comments.