The Makerie in Boulder with THESE women! You're on!

Next week this time I'll be hanging with these huge talents who are all giving classes at The Makerie in Boulder, Colorado. This is an incredible retreat held at Chautauqua, a national (and sacred!) historic landmark, and there is still time to sign up for a few classes! Do it! How rare to be a part of intimate workshops with instructors willing to share their talent, time, experience and love of the craft. I have the honor of speaking during lunch on Friday and Saturday and I can't wait!

Scenes from the Student Designer Showcase, USC Fashion Week 2013

Last night I served as a judge for the Student Designer Showcase for the University of South Carolina's Fashion Week! Tonight I'll deliver the keynote for the universities 5th annual fashion week. Great job, students and congratulations, Paul Williams, on winning the showcase.

xobruno....Made in Oregon

My friends at xobruno make beautiful bags, by hand and in leather, canvas and a new-to-xobruno material, Hazara Kilim textiles. Important to the brand is sharing where the bags are produced, hence their Made in Oregon tags/logo. Is the next iteration of the Made in America movement, economic localization?

Talking about Athens, Georgia on Alternative Apparel's Community Thread

I was a magazine writer, editor and article's producer for almost two decades and there are days I miss working with talented stylists and photographers (though this service is one I will soon extend to my clients!) When I do, I collaborate with friends, like for this article and fashion spread that I produced and wrote for Alternative Apparel's blog, Community Thread. Read more about my hometown project here!

Book report

The best kind of surprise made its way into my inbox today. A Recipe for Press reader in the midwest reviewed my book on her blog, UpscaleDownhome. Thank you, Sarah, for crafting such a helpful post and sharing with your readers!

Registration for "Amber Housley: Inspired" opens Monday

I'm excited to announce that I'll be a featured speaker at "Amber Housley: Inspired" a business and lifestyle summit for creative entrepreneurs in Nashville in early August. Registration opens on Monday. Join us!

Trend on the rise: animal portraiture

http://www.theanimalprintshop.com/baby-monkey-no.-2/

http://shop.chaseandwonder.com/product/dandy-lion

http://www.etsy.com/shop/hotdigitaldog

A look back: my years at Lucky magazine

Rifling through stacks of old publications, I came upon a pile of Lucky magazines. Did you know that I was a regional editor for Lucky for five years? It was that unique perspective as a regional editor (that's my page they're talking about in the upper right hand corner) that informed the need for a book like Recipe for Press. I met so many designers, shop owners and artists who needed press and had great products and stories but lacked the confidence to approach an editor. The rest, my friends, is history!

Splatter paint splendor

Pitch Alert! Splatter paint is back both in fashion and interior design and while relatively new as a trend, editors will be on the hunt for products with that Jackson Pollock appeal.

Happy Easter!

Operating within the color-blocking theme of this last week (see post below), we attempted crisp sharp lines and chunky patches of color with our eggs. And then the glitter came out and we drizzled shaved crayon on the hot egg shells and it made for a much more interesting, fun and spontaneous experience!
Have a wonderful weekend!

Pitch This: Color-blocking

Editors everywhere are still loving the color-blocking trend and always finding new ways (nails, Easter eggs) to spin it. Look at your products with an eye toward color-blocking then pair it, in a pitch, with something current (color-blocking with spring's hottest new colors, color-blocked swimwear, back-to-school color-blocking).  

1. Anemone Letterpress

2. RPellicer

3. Mr. Sogs

4. Bug Under Glass

5. Voz Collective

6. Congress Bags

This takes the cake!

I made the mistake of leaving raspberry cake with buttercream frosting on my counter yesterday. There were only a few slices left and, well, I suppose they were just too much to resist. When I asked my pup if he was the one who polished it off, he tucked his head and put himself in the corner!