Life & Times of a Design Star
Remember Jennifer Bertrand? She won HGTV’s Design Star in season 3. I love her design sense and plan to hire her someday to paint a giant Fleur de Lys on the wall and ceiling in the dining room of my forever home – when I actually buy my forever home … someday in the far off, unforeseeable future.
Love, love, love! See more at www.bertranddesigns.com
Like a lot of her fans, I couldn’t wait to see her new show. When her show didn’t appear, I wondered what had happened to the last Design Star. Well, I only had part of the answer. Jen indeed had a baby, a son named Winston who is a special needs child born with rare malformations.
Jennifer stumbled across my blog last week and left a wonderful message with a link to a guest blog she wrote about her life after Design Star and with Winston.
It also turns out that Jennifer did shoot a few episodes — that I somehow missed, me a die-hard HGTV viewer! If you missed the shows, too, you can catch up here with me. I already pulled a favorite quote from one of the episodes: “It’s all how you look at things. You can either let it defeat you or be stronger because of it.”
Jennifer is a star on so many levels. She’s a lovely, upbeat, positive and genuine person which comes across on camera and in her designs. Like her laugh, her outlook on life really is contagious. There’s a reason Winston was given to her 
I LOVE Jennifer! She was my odds-0n favorite to win Season 3 and I was thrilled when she did. {Maybe is has something to do with the fact that I am a decorator and have also painted murals, I don’t know!} Her spirit and talent were rewarded with the top prize – and like you, I wondered what HGTV had done when her show never materialized. I have seen a few of the episodes that FINALLY aired – without any announcement or fanfare???? – and loved them. Jennifer is certainly a more qualified winner than Antonio, in MY opinion of course, and I am happy to see that she is able to share her talents with others again. Her story is so inspiring and her son is just adorable. .. much continued success to her in ALL areas of her life.
That’s probably why I missed the shows, Deb. I DVR practically everything to watch on my schedule. I only learn about news shows via promos inside other shows.
Antonio has a unique design style that perhaps doesn’t fit my home. But, I still appreciate his creativity – especially with reuse of items. And I really love his enthusiasm.
Thank you, Inis, for your kind words!!!
And Deb, thank you for cheering me on as well!!! 
Inis, did I tell you that I’m starting a blog of my Winston adventures? If not, here it is! http://hugsforthesoul.blogspot.com/ I hope to be back in tv land some day soon. I never did it for fame and fortune, really only because I just truly love and adore inspiring others! So I’ll keep you guys posted if and when there’s another round!!! Cheerio and big hugs! jen