Autumn, Jeri and last, but not least, Oprah

Photo: Blair Green

Our friend Autumn de Wilde holds up this month’s Paper Magazine. She shot the cover and she shot this photo inside of Matt and I too because she is an editorial darling with a style that makes everyone feel comfortable and look effortlessly cool. She still uses film by the way, medium format, so she shoots with intention since she gets only 12 shots a roll. There’s so much soul being in front of her lens, so much warmth. Here we are in her kitchen where she had freshly painted her cupboards with black chalkboard paint so Matt could draw on them with big fat chalk, and, man, he couldn’t wait.

Our friend Jeri was there too. She had introduced us to Autumn who we didn’t know that well back then, and so she came along for fun and I think to relax us as friends do. We ate together and drank some very special bottles of wine while listening to Louis Armstrong is how I remember it.

We hadn’t slept, Matt and I, not a wink. Two days before we had received a call from Oprah. Yes. Oprah. She had a last minute luncheon she was throwing and we were recommended to cook for it. We, every single person working at Heirloom (which was half the amount that work with us here now), gasped. She asked us to cook for one of the largest events we had done at that point, and with only 36 hours to prepare, when we had two others on the books already. Holy. Moly.

We rallied. We didn’t sleep. We cooked our butts off. And it was friggin’ awesome. She personally thanked us, grabbed the mike and announced to all of her associates at the launch of her O Network which is what the event was for that “Lasagna Cupcakes will change your life!” I may have cried. Pretty sure I did. It was thrilling. I mean… Oprah.

But we hadn’t slept and Autumn had painted her cupboards so without the thought of showering because there was just no time, we stole away a quick trip home to at least grab some fresh (not stained) clothes and let our dogs out to take a speedy whizz as I avoided all mirrors, then we raced over to Autumn’s who calmed our frazzled adrenaline rush as if by black magic. That, folks, is just her gift, Autumn’s. That’s what she does. She somehow makes workaholics like us think of nothing else but the moment. She asked us to blink, as if she were asking us if we would like another glass of fine wine, and then there was the loud shutter and click and agile rewinding of a film camera with her graceful hands. It was the most enchanting evening. I look at these photos and it takes me back. I feel so proud of how far we’ve come since then and how much closer we are with Autumn and with Jeri and how I just don’t care that I’m not wearing make-up and my hair’s uncombed and my eyes are haggard and fatigued. We have built a business we feel constantly inspired by and excited about and we have made beautiful friendships because of it, and so my well seasoned vanity washes away when I see this lovely collection because it so perfectly captures our beginning.

Photos: Autumn de Wilde

Thank you our friend Autumn and thank you our friend Jeri. And if you should ever look upon our blog, thank you too, Oprah. You, all three of you, believed in us when we were only just getting started which is more powerful than sleep, it truly is.

Autumn, Jeri and last, but not least, Oprah

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