Win Weekly Giveaway #1 – Art & Soul Swarovski Crystal Mirror Compact

WIN this dual mirror compact for yourself or your girlfriend - just in time for Valentine’s Day!

This design, originally created for the Art & Soul Showcase to benefit the Austin Children’s Shelter, has never before been offered on one of our Sugarluxe Compacts.

I have ONLY made THREE of these compacts for this very special occasion…and these pretty little accessories will go to THREE LUCKY WINNERS in this week’s current giveaway contest to celebrate our 4th Anniversary at Sugarluxe.

Sugarluxe launched on February 14th, 2005 and it sure has been a wild world filled with sweet surPRIZES ever since.

As a way of thanking our super awesome friends…I thought I would do a weekly contest and give away some unique goodies that you can’t get anywhere else. No purchase is necessary to win.  And if you have any questions about HOW TO ENTER  – be sure to check out the official rules.

This week’s FREEBIE is a Limited Edition (of 3).  How do ya like that for super limited – Hot Pink Tattoo Heart Mirror Compact.

Each compact is made right here in the Sugarluxe Studio and is meticulously crafted and dipped in silver.  The double mirror cosmetic compact is then coated with a protective layer of lacquer to help prevent tarnish.

The artwork is created using soft luster pigments and fired into a durable glass-composite.

Your FREE PRIZE will arrive wrapped in tissue, placed in a plastic sleeve, inserted into a white Sugarluxe Logo gift box with a velvet drawstring pouch for safe keeping.  Retail Value is $34 USD.

Made just for you – with all my Art & Soul.

Oh yes – and be sure to subscribe via email and leave a comment if you’d like to win.  This week’s contest will end at midnight on February 7th.  Winners will be listed on this post on Sunday.  THANKS!

——————————————————–  WINNER’S ANNOUNCED ——————————————————–

It’s Sunday night and the Winner’s Names have been drawn!

But first, I had to make my way over to my Facebook page.  I made a wall post and requested that someone (who did not enter the contest) pick three numbers between 1 and 93.

1. That’s officially the number of entries we had including comments here, extra credits for blog entries and facebook posts.
2. Thank goodness my diplomatic friend, Melanie Spencer, who just left the Austin American Statesman last week for her new job as Press Secretary to Texas First Lady, Anita Perry – responded to my request and posted three random numbers on my Facebook Wall.
3. Here’s what she wrote:  2, 6, and 60.

And with that – here are the Winners of the Art & Soul Compacts:

1. Elisa B. – Austin, TX
2. Stacy C. – New York, NY
3. Deb D. – Dublin, OH

Please use our Contact Form to send us your shipping information!

Thanks so much to everyone who participated. I hope you’ll check back tomorrow to see the NEW PRIZES for this week’s GIVEAWAYS.  More winners to come…

Latex Paint? Why Sugarluxe Loves Sherwin Williams

People are always asking me to give up my secrets. There is hardly a week that goes by that I don’t receive a question in regards to the paints I use and prefer.  Most of the time, it’s a young, self-taught artist seeking tips.  But every once in awhile, it’s a customer who wants to find out the paint color used in one of my pieces so that they can repaint a room to match.

Most people might think that those inquiries would yield totally different responses.  But in my case, the answer is one and the same.

I love acrylic latex.

Now, if you come into my studio…you’ll see a variety of tubes, jars and bottles of Golden Heavy Body acrylic paints.  You’ll also see glazing liquids, soft gels, and special varnishes – all designed to work in conjunction with standard acrylic artist’s paint to create the exact effect desired.

I enjoy mixing paint, creating the color and getting just the right texture.  There is something quite therapeutic about the process.  That is…until you realize you didn’t mix enough, you ran out of your perfectly mixed batch and now you must try to get the exact same color and sheen again.

With latex, I can create a swatch, bring it to the store, have a digital read out and then get a perfect match in a quart or gallon size if needed.  And since I use a lot of the same colors to tie my collection together, I save money, too.

That’s why…I love acrylic latex.

Many artists who have seen my actual paintings close up want to touch them to feel the paint.  The color is thick, smooth and the edges are precise.  They wonder how I eliminate brush strokes.  They often comment on my technical execution.  They ask how I do it?

Guess what I say?

You’re RIGHT!  I love acrylic latex.

But not just any acrylic latex paint.  And certainly not the cheap stuff.  You know I’m a budget-minded entrepreneur, but when it comes to choosing paint, I seem to have expensive tastes.

After years of frustration, not getting the exact look I wanted to achieve…I discovered that working with latex paints provided me with more control, less waste and fabulous results.

In the beginning of my experimentation,  I went for the discount paint.  Just like I did when I repainted rooms in my house.  I wanted the most bang for my buck…and it seemed that the home builder supply stores could give me gallons of latex love for rock bottom prices.  What a bargain!

But paint, whether it’s for your home or a canvas, is not something to scrimp on. Ultimately, with cheap paints, you’ll create more work for yourself and spend more money in the long run. I wish I would have realized this back when I remodeled my home years ago.

Quality paint has more pigment.  More pigment means less layers needed to get good coverage, less layers mean less labor…less labor means a happier painter.

Here’s how it works:

Of the three main paint ingredients – pigments, solvents and binders -

1. Pigment provides hiding power and gives paint its color and shading.
2. Solvents carry the paint to the surface, then evaporate, leaving behind a film of paint.
3. Binders are bonding agents that hold the paint together.

The material left on a substrate (wall, canvas, etc) after the solvent evaporates and the coating cures is its ‘solids content’. When calculated as a percentage of the total gallon of paint, the solids are referred to as “Volume Solids.” A higher percentage of Volume Solids is usually an indication of a better quality paint, because more binder and pigment are left to protect the surface compared to a coating with a lower Volume Solids rating.

So, if you have more coating, more pigment, and more protection…it’s easy to see why you won’t have to buy as much paint and it is actually LESS expensive to get the good stuff from the start.

That’s why when I confirmed my assignment to complete a room for the Hotel Des Arts, the first thing I did was to make sure my favorite stores were close to the hotel.

First stop would be:  Blick Art Materials on Van Ness.  LOVE THIS STORE!  This is where I purchased all my brushes, pencils, and other supplies.  Good brushes are a must, too.

Then, I needed to find my favorite paint store.  I’ve tried them all…and this brand works the best for me.  Sugarluxe loves Sherwin Williams!

At first, I thought I was going to have trouble convincing the hotel manager to pay for these paints instead of typical artist’s paints.  But I didn’t even have to explain.  One of the many cool things about that project…they totally trust the artist to just do their thing.

The even better news is that Sherwin Williams now has a line of eco-friendly paints which make the whole acrylic latex painting process even better.  The line is called GreenSure.

All GreenSure products come in 100% post-consumer recycled packaging with labels printed in soy ink. And they are using sustainable raw materials like soy and sunflower oil in their paints.

Inhabitat reports that Steve Revnew, director of product development at Sherwin-Williams says, “At Sherwin-Williams, we believe that being environmentally responsible goes well beyond the product formulation. We have established our own sustainability initiative called “EcoVision.” EcoVision is a company-wide approach to look at all aspects of our business and see where we can become more environmentally responsible.”

For our customers who need to match a color used in one of our Sugarluxe Giclees, it’s super EASY:

1. Just take the giclee canvas to Sherwin Williams.
2. Isolate the color you want for your wall.
3. Pick your paint and a make a paint sheen selection.
4. Have them scan it for a digital color match.
5. Take home your new paint and see the difference great paint can make.

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Interesting Fact:

Don’t you just love paint chips?  But did you know that the little paint chip cards are the biggest production expense to a paint manufacturer and the more customers abuse those freebies, the higher the costs of paint?  Speaking of eco-friendly…we need to reuse, recycle or not make waste of these lovely paint chips.

Here is one of my favorite ideas by fantastic graphic designer, Jessica Jones at How About Orange?

Okay…I know these are Behr paint chips, but I just love Jessica’s photo and bookmarks.  What great ideas can you share?

Form, Function and the Field of Dreams

The BRAND NEW Sugarluxe Website is live, lookin’ good and I sure hope you LOVE it like we do!  If you’re on our private VIP list, you already know about the improved site.

If you stumbled onto Sugarluxe for the first time this past month, you already know about it too…and because we outperformed all forecasts for new traffic and direct sales, even in slumpy economic times, I think every single minute of the 784 hours to complete the migration is going to be totally worth it!

Few people know that our original site was all hand-coded.  We didn’t have a shopping cart platform and the site didn’t pull from any pre-fab templates.  That means every single page (over 900) had to be changed one at a time if we wanted to add a product or category, or make any updates to the navigation.  It was such a nightmare.

Not to mention, the back-end was totally chaotic.  In retrospect, I don’t know how we handled our volume of sales with such little automation.

But the idea of developing a new site right before the holidays was a nothing short of insane!  A week into the project (back in October), it looked practically impossible to go live by December.  For some ridiculous reason, my life is full of self-imposed deadlines that make me nutty.  I think I might work on doing that a little less in the New Year.

Yet, when it comes right down to it…the foundation of this company was built upon the importance of signature imagery and usability.  Whether we are talking about product development or a website overhaul – it can’t just look fantastic, it has to be functional.

It was time for an update.

Despite the intense amount of work, I am so, so happy that we are now on such a sophisticated, user-friendly software system.  It’s heavenly!

Here are some of the things that I am just so excited about:

1. We’ve built a back-end customer database so anyone can create a personal Gift Registry.
2. We finally have a site-wide search mechanism with thousands of programmed terms.
3. Our shipping is fully integrated, so you can log onto your Sugarluxe Account for tracking.
4. We’ve designed a breadcrumb trail in all categories for much easier navigation.
5. We now have the functionality for every customer to provide their opinion with Product Reviews.
6. Sugarluxe Partners can now log in to see their special pricing without waiting until checkout.
7. We now offer Sugarluxe Gift Certificates in multiple denominations for convenient gift giving options.
8. We’ve posted new product lines including the SMART Collection Cufflinks and Collectible Paper Prints.
9. The entire Sugarluxe Website loads much more quickly…saving you time when shopping.
10. Specials are so much easier to update, so we will be offering many more deals to our VIPs!

Today, it’s pretty easy for someone who wants to launch an online store to start within a matter of days.  Technology has come a long way.  With portable shopping widgets, blog plugins, sites like Poketo, Etsy, Zazzle, and more…anyone can sell their stuff online.  But even with progress and all these portals, I still believe that if you want to create a real brand…you SHOULD build your own retail website (at least in addition to your pages on the crowdsourced sites).

My vision has always been to compete with some of the biggest shopping sites online.  Not in terms of sales (although that wouldn’t suck). I’m not aiming to be the size of Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try really hard to emulate the experience.

Like most of the undertakings at Sugarluxe, this was no easy task.  But I hope you find that as we continue to grow, we make every single improvement with you in mind.

I feel pretty good about all of the enhanced features, the project was certainly a good investment.  But the best part is – I’m actually now a firm believer that if you build it – they will come!

What is your favorite part?  Have you explored the new site?  Have you left a review?  It would be great to get your feedback…

Stand Out in a Crowd: Being Unique like Cool Designer Cufflinks

Don’t you love cool little cufflinks? I think they’re totally sexy and for something so small, they sure can make a big statement. Huge compliments to avid cufflink collectors.  I really like accessories that provide a little insight into an individual’s personality. 

Cufflinks do that. 

So, I’ve been trying my hand at making cufflinks for almost a year and a half. In fact, I have cufflink prototypes (hundreds of pairs) strewn about the studio and stashed in drawers.  Part of the fun for my friends to come into the studio is trying to get a sneak peek at the multiple experiments I have going on at any given time…

In today’s world of manufacturing and overseas sourcing, it’s rare that a company will manufacturer and sell their own products.  It’s cost prohibitive and for the most part, I don’t know if people even care anymore about where something is made.

But I do.

I find satisfaction in doing both manufacturing and distribution. I can have control over quality and I get the opportunity to connect directly to customers.  I think that’s the best of both worlds.  But maybe that’s just me.

I enjoy taking ideas and turning them into something tangible.  I like developing the prototypes, working with so many materials, and figuring out how to perfect a process.  Art to me is more than painting or illustrating…it’s about creating something out of nothing.

But guess what?

Read more

Girlfriend and Cleo Magazine | Editors Pick Favorite Pink Ribbon Gifts

It probably comes as no surprise - I love PINK.  Which is why I love spending time in my studio downtown.  It’s not covered in the color;  it’s just the right amount to make me feel good.  Let’s call it a daily dose of Pepto Bismol to soothe my creative soul. 

It’s so fun to watch people walk into the building where I lease my space and find their way through the maze of non-descript hallways.  Upon opening the door to the Sugarluxe Studio…even guys, mind you…seem as if they’ve been transported to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.  *Cue the lights and the chorus*

Well, substitute Interns for Oompa Loompas, sparkly gems instead of a chocolate river, and we don’t have lickable wallpaper (yet) but the studio is filled with tasty, sexy art – it’s definitely a decadent place packed with delicious artistic goodness.

But my appreciation for PINK has far more to do with the POWER of this color than it does with my own predeliction toward it.

For years, pink products have made their way into the marketplace every October in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  It’s amazing how many things are out there…pink, proud and hopefully, all doing their part to raise money for research and prevention.

From pink blenders and pink bread mixers, to pink curling irons and pink toolkits…for one month out of every year, we are bombarded with companies who manufacture Pink Ribbon Products.

This is something I’ve been doing at Sugarluxe since our inception.  And better yet, we don’t do it for one month.  We manufacture our Pink Ribbon Gift Items all year long. 

Preventing, educating and creating more awareness about breast cancer is part of my personal mission.  I might not be a big huge brand like Conair’s Personal Hair Care Products or Palmer’s with their ubiquitous Cocoa Butter Creme, but I am compelled to do whatever I can. Even if my contribution is small potatoes compared to these places…I’m in the fight to help battle this disease.

So, I’m pretty excited that Girlfriend Magazine (btw – they were the very first magazine to be printed on entirely recycled paper) and Cleo Magazine chose some of our Pink Ribbon items to feature as their favorite picks.  It let’s readers know that I, like so many other independent artists and designers, are also doing what we can to help fund and find a cure.  If we band together, we can make a difference.

If you want to create and sell Pink Ribbon products to help wage the war against Breast Cancer, let’s start with some Do’s & Don’ts to help you begin sharing knowledge and spreading hope…

DON’T

1. Don’t put a Pink Ribbon on your designs just to sell products.  Believe in the reason you’re doing this or just don’t do it.
2. Unless you are a big label or manufacturer and can sell tens of thousands of units, don’t source production.  You will likely not be able to move that much product and then you’ll be faced with discounting to offset costs, thereby diminishing any proceeds for the cause.
3. Don’t anticipate it will produce a revenue stream. Consider creating these items as part of your charity work.  Offering these goods should be a way for you to donate your time, effort and money to a cause you care about.
4. Don’t be vague about who you are contributing to. Penn sells Pink Tennis Balls and states that “15 cents of your purchase goes to a Breast Cancer Research Organization”.  That’s too unclear for customers.
5. Don’t make pink ribbon items if your products have chemicals or components proven to contribute to the disease.  Please just find a way to make safer products first.

DO:

1. Make sure to choose a specific organization for whom your contributions will benefit.  Susan G. Komen for the Cure is so large now that it’s hard to make a significant impact.  That’s why it’s good to consider other organizations too.  Like the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  They help pay for mammograms for women who cannot afford them and as the saying goes…an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
2. Decide what portion of the proceeds are going to go directly to the organization and clearly state that amount to customers.
3. Do your research.  Many organizations have local affiliates or chapters.  Big organizations even have trademark licensing requirements.  So, it’s best to start out at a local level to find out what is required of you before you start producing your own line of pink ribbon products.
4. If you sell your line wholesale, require those resellers to also contribute to a Breast Cancer non-profit organization of their choice. Because the net proceeds are decreased on wholesale orders, it’s important that both parties pitch in to make up the difference.
5. Be creative.  Do something special.  It’s not about taking a pink item and dubbing it a Pink Ribbon Product…develop something that is truly and specifically for the cause.  

A special note of THANKS goes out to Sam Winter of Sassi Sam in Australia whose hard work and savvy PR made it possible for the selection of Sugarluxe in these magazines.  Thank you Sam…you are such an amazing friend and smart business partner!!

Extreme Wealth Working Just 5 Hours a Week

A business mind and a bleeding heart are often an incompatible mix…

But I should back up.

Don’t we just EAT UP the idea of an overnight success story?

Like the 2 a.m. infomercials – Lose weight without any effort whatsoever, enjoy extreme wealth working just 5 hours a week, and get smoother, wrinkle-free skin with this amazing wonder cream.

Who doesn’t want the quick fix? Yet, true success in, well, pretty much everything…doesn’t happen overnight. For artists, if it happens at all, it’s usually after we’re dead.

So, for those who hope that fortune will fall in your lap – then by all means, click here.

Know better? Then keep reading.

• By nature, I was born a bleeding heart. It’s a fact – and it’s a double-edge sword when it comes to business.
• I hate to say NO to anyone – because I am wired to want to help others…and also because (see #1).

When I decided to launch Sugarluxe…I left everything behind.  Full-on risk, no side jobs, no income, no safety net.  I cashed out my tiny 401K and I was determined to build a brand name.  I didn’t freelance or take any pick up work that might have made it easier, but would ultimately, distract me from my end goal.

I don’t believe in Get Rich Quick Schemes. So, to be successful, I have to make sure that my business sensibilities prevail, or at least work hand in hand with my bleeding heart.

I understand people want something custom for their business, new website, boutique, blog, product packaging, myspace page, their new line of greeting cards, their new line of panties, their non-profit, their church group, their brochures, their banners, headers, t-shirts, and…oh my gosh – I am out of breath!

I’m not complaining or taking any of the recognition for granted. 

One day I’ll spill the gory details of the significant losses in my life, until then just know that I am someone who gets that in an instant, your whole life can change. (Did you think for a moment that my happy, colorful artwork meant that I wasn’t a tortured soul?)

Frida knows – Art is suffering.

Sacrifice, living lean and forging ahead is what I’ve had to do.  Sure it’s been 3 super fast years since I started Sugarluxe…but I’ve been working a lifetime to get to this point.

Reminds me of one of my favorite stories…it’s about Picasso:

Picasso was sitting in a Paris café when an admirer approached and asked if he would do a quick sketch on a paper napkin. Picasso politely agreed, swiftly executed the work, and handed back the napkin — but not before asking for a rather significant amount of money.

The admirer was shocked: “How can you ask for so much? It only took you a minute to draw this!” “No”, Picasso replied, “It’s taken me my whole life”.

So, absolutely…I would love to help with your project, your new business venture or develop your brand of designer boxers!  My bleeding heart wants to do it all for free, but then my business mind reminds me…

And this is especially important for women to hear because we are usually the first to trivialize our talents:

Understand your unique value.  Maybe you’ve started your own company, you’ve climbed the corporate ladder or you’re a freelance designer, writer or consultant – when you work incredibly hard for what you’ve achieved, you not only deserve credit, but you deserve excellent compensation for what you have to offer. 

And those who complain of your confidence are surely the ones sitting back their entire lives, just waiting for the chance to get rich quick.

The Blanton Museum of Art Hosts Sugarluxe

Less than 3% of the artists in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art are women, but 85% of the nudes are female. - Guerrilla Girls

Now, I’m not saying the Guerrilla Girls would feel compelled to rally behind Sugarluxe, considering its basis in mainstream glam. But perhaps they would applaud my own unique FEMINIST pursuit to increase opportunities for marginalized female artists.

The word Feminist…or the “F” word as it may be to some – is to me about equality. Always has been. And fundamentally, those who know how to look beneath the surface of my art, already know that.

So, how do I combat the sad fact that females are more likely to be on display in museums as a nude rendering than as a talented artist? Well, surprisingly enough…it was with one little belt buckle.

Even acquaintances of mine have seemed surprised when they started seeing Sugarluxe paintings, my permanent installation at the Hotel Des Arts, or my reproductions on canvas in the gallery sections of home decor stores.

“Oh, I had no idea that you were going to do anything besides belt buckles.” said one girl.

Never underestimate the power of the inconspicuous. For me anyway, a bigger plan is always at play!

That’s my advice to any aspiring artist who actually wants to make a living doing what they love.

We have to move past the antiquated, traditional assertions of what art is and define it for ourselves, for our generation and for this chapter in history. Make it accessible, no matter its form. Art is Everywhere!

So, when I was asked to do a signing and trunk show at The Blanton Museum of Art, I felt I must.

Now here’s where gets a bit sticky…

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.

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