Special Delivery: New Internshipments Are Here

After selecting 64 stellar resumes to review and then holding two sets of group interviews we finally decided on two sweet, very smart girlies for our Sugarluxe Spring Internship Program. They = Hurray!

Both just completed training and now work about 15-20 hours a week. Unpaid.

FREE LABOR? Maybe to some.

For me – the process of finding the perfect candidate is not unlike the glycolic peel I recently put myself through. At first you kind of dread it, you invariably find a few flakes along the way, but because you endured the procedure, in a matter of weeks it pays off…there’s a renewed youthfulness and everything feels FRESH again!

Plus — every intern I’ve had — ROCKS! Why? They:

1. are more open to change.
2. have no sense of entitlement.
3. bring great, new ideas.
4. are eager and enthusiastic (which makes my day so much better!)
5. show ambition, rather than drowning me in utter complacency.

But really caring about and developing a University Intern is a ton of work…if you’re like me and want to make a long lasting impact, it’s worth every minute.

Here’s the thing… Read more

Rock of Love

Do you watch Rock of Love on Vh1? I do. I can’t help it.

But girls ripping each other apart for the sake of 1) winning 2) a man 3) their 15 minutes of fame…goes against everything I stand for. So why do I secretly record every episode and then watch in delight as females fight tooth and nail over Bret Michaels?

Um, well…I guess because in my heart of hearts, I cannot deny it. I was, am and will always be a rocker chick. The musician obsession started when I was about 8. My parents hoped that I would grow out of it. I never did. I can’t help it.

I’ve also dated two Doctors, a Lawyer, a Baseball Player, a Morning DJ, and a Duke (okay, I didn’t officially date The Duke)

One night in Toronto, downtown with my girls, I met a guy from The Royal Family. Somehow, we all ended up back at his brownstone. Whilst showing me his art collection and discussing his cottage in the country (cottage meaning sprawling estate) I had a cocktail or four in an attempt to cope with my feelings of inferiority. Due to the unavoidable intoxication that ensued, I cried out in front of everyone that he was clearly a “condescending art snob.”

So let this be a lesson to you too, should you ever encounter the opportunity to become a duchess…

Moonshine and Monet don’t mix.

My best friend, Karen, will definitely chime in if I get the details wrong. Even with my lack of diplomacy, I think The Duke asked me to marry him that night. On his knee in the middle of the street…he apparently fancied me as a feisty starving artist type. Earlier misgivings aside, I quickly considered how cool I would look wearing a crown.

Karen, fearful that the whiskey would make me do something I might regret, hurled me into a cab and I waved goodbye. To The Duke. To the cottage in the country. And for a long while…to my dignity.

Returning to my homeland, I realized, I was meant for a musician. Every other guy I had dated between the ages of 15-25 – a musician. Guitar players were first choice, singers second. Guitar players who sing? JACKPOT!

That’s how I met Bob. Bob Michaels.

He was playing on stage. Oh MY GOD. Singing, playing his ‘69 Gibson Guitar with girls crawling all over him. Yup, that’s my type. After two tumultous years, we called it quits. I was devastated. But in retrospect, I’m glad it ended when it did because that was actually the beginning of our true friendship. We became best friends over the next ten years. It’s a long gooey story, but since my last name is Michaels, you can probably figure out how it goes. We were made for each other. It just took us a long time to figure that out.

Bob is a talented musican and brilliant business man. He is a risk taker and he gives me the freedom and the emotional support to be one too. It’s not an easy life we’ve carved out for ourselves. Two entrepreneurs in separate, but creative fields with no guaranteed paycheck and working in different studios on what might as well be opposite ends of the world. We don’t get to see each other enough, but every time I come home, he greets me with the same two seemingly simple words – Hi Sugar!

And in an instant, I fall in love all over again. I can’t help it.

So, after years of creating artwork inspired by and for women. This is my first piece made for a man. My man. My true Rock of Love.

Here is my initial sketch.

And here is the next step.

UPDATE:  Here is the final piece that can now be purchased as an Artist’s Proof online.

Z Gallerie Unveils Exclusive Sugarluxe Collection

I can’t believe it’s been less than 3 years since launching Sugarluxe from my small loft.

Having already outgrown two studios and earning my stripes as a real risk taker (trust me I have the entrepreneurial scar tissue to prove it) – I’ve arrived at a marker in my career that I’ve been dreaming about for years.

This particular dream started when I walked into Z Gallerie.

Over a decade ago, my mom discovered this great home decor store and thought it was the perfect place for me to find things for my first home. By nature, I tend to be pretty eclectic, so she knew I’d love it. The moment I walked in, it was more than love. I was overcome with a feeling, that to this day, I can hardly describe.

I muttered to my mom, “My stuff will be in this store someday.” After all – born July 22nd, I’m on the cusp of Cancer & Leo, which might explain why I thrive on the duality of business and art.

But the feeling, or vision, or whatever it was that day has remained crystal clear.

Read more

It’s Sugar in the Raw

Come on in, pull up a chair and let’s chat…

You know those tasty little packets of turbinado crystals you stir into your morning coffee? That sugar is like this blog.  A little less refined, with a lot more flavor.

Fact is, a blog was beckoning. Flaunting its potential for mass appeal and ability to instantly gratify, I begged the idea to leave me alone. After all, and perhaps surprising to some, I am a VERY private person.

I guess I’d always hoped that what I was showing was enough. The artwork, the press, the products all provide a glimpse into the making of America’s Sweet Art: the delicious imaginary land of Sugarluxe with its candy-coated shell.

But after so many MySpace messages and countless emails asking about what I do, I finally realized that people often want as much in the way of how and as they do about the who.

My boob flopping out on the red carpet would leave me feeling less exposed.

Talking about how or why I do the things I do?  Yeah, okay.  It’s just that it’s much easier to tell you my favorite color. Which is aqua if you’re asking. But it seems more is required.  WHY GOD? Whyyyyyyy?

FAIR WARNING: I’ve been told I’m a bit dramatic.

I’m not sure yet where this year will take me, but it’s the first time that I will actually talk about all of it. The good AND the bad. Completely raw. Full disclosure.

You are now granted total access. 

If you want all the goodies, please go subscribe today to receive our top secret info by email or by feed.