If you’ve ever contacted, applied, worked with or ordered from Sugarluxe, chances are - you’ve communicated with Lindsay. If you haven’t met her…please allow me to introduce you to someone who is wonderfully precious to me - Lindsay Robinson.

But first things first…whenever I have publicly spoken so highly of someone, I immediately invite poachers. I understand that. It’s really no different than the chance I take every time I share a new piece of art or a recent illustration. If I put it out there, it could be stolen. But I can’t spend my time worrying about the people who do that kind of thing. I want to share…my work, my passion and most of all, my appreciation for people I adore.

Lindsay is one of those people.

Graduating in May and wise beyond her 22 years, she is so smart, caring and devoted. Every day that she is at work, she is a burst of sunshine and add to that, she is never late, never gripes and comes in with a can-do attitude, I feel blessed that this wonderful human being is in my life.

Sure, I don’t sound like a normal boss. That’s probably because I’m not. I don’t subscribe to traditional bossery. I know that respecting your staff, welcoming their ideas, allowing them to fail and encouraging them to succeed creates loyalty and a cohesive team.

I can’t take credit for Lindsay being so ultimately fabulous…she is just that way. Her parents are as charming as any parents could ever be, her boyfriend, Andy (studying abroad in Barcelona right now) is a doll and her friends love her endlessly. She is just a gem, no doubt about it.

So is it all about luck of the draw?

Well, sorta.

But my guy friends say it this way: GAME RECOGNIZES GAME!

It’s true. Plus girls need to talk more about being tight and bringing ‘game’. So, I’m saying it here…in all my girly A-Game glory, that’s what it’s about.

I dread sounding preachy. I am not one to tell people how to do anything, really. That’s how it works in our studio anyway. It’s different on a blog because I can’t pack everyone into the studio to prove it. But mostly, I don’t tell — I just do. And it’s through my actions that I hope to inspire and attract like-minded people.

Might I possibly be too attached? Always.

But I have a long list of wonderful friends who started out working with or for me over the years. I spend more time at work than any other place in my life…so when someone is going to get that close and I get to choose, they have to be someone I will adore.

Lindsay: you are uniquely special to me. I’m so proud of you and everything you’ve learned. I couldn’t be happier than to start each day with your drive - a perfect match for my determination. It takes guts to step into the amount of responsibility you’ve taken on - but you’ve got what it takes. You will always succeed at whatever you set your mind to.

With Love & Octiwinkles,

C

Popularity: 44%

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.

I will post a picture of the completed 30×39 framed art in his studio once it is complete and installed.

Do you think he’ll like it?

Popularity: 56%