The holidays make me feel warm and fuzzy…they also make me inordinately grateful. It's the time of year to reflect on life and regardless of how I feel in my present progress, it's important to embrace how far I've come. Along the way, I've met amazing people and Katherine Schwingel is one of them.

Katherine is the lead home stylist for West Elm at South Coast Plaza and we met late one night when I was overwhelmed with furniture shopping. Within a matter of minutes, her smile put me at ease and we bonded over a mid-century modern dining room table. We've since become friends, so when she invited me to participate in West Elm's silent auction, I was more than happy to oblige.

I will be donating a two-hour mentor session and all the proceeds will go to St. Jude Children's Hospital. If you're interested in taking better photos, I'll cater the session to your needs (lighting, posing, business, mutual love for Toddlers&Tiaras)…or you can give it away to your favorite shutterbug as a Christmas gift! The donation is tax-deductible and I hope the auction proves to show the power of people who care.

The silent auction will be THIS Friday, December 6, 2013 at West Elm South Coast Plaza (3333 Bear Street #231 Costa Mesa CA 92626, next to Crate+Barrel) from 6pm-8pm. If you have any questions, contact Katherine by email (kschwingel@wsgc.com) or calling the store at: (714) 662-1960

Hope to see you there!