Friday, March 23, 2012

* let's meet our judges! *



 *my name is* stamp by paint it green

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goodness-sakes-alive!

i'm so super excited about all of the wonderful nominations that are coming in for the *handmade olympics!* - i just love reading folks' adorations + reasonings. what an amazing community the handmaking world is!

so let's get to know our wonderful ensemble of judges (cheerleaders might be a better term!) a wee bit better! they're a veritable *who's who* of handmaking superstars, whose enthusiasm for making has really crafted the way for all of us! so thanks, nicies!

nominate makers you love (and your own works!) in each event for the amazing chance to have these handmaking superstars take a look at your beautiful work! yay!


we're thrilled to get to know you a bit better!




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she's an amazing mix of talents, creativity, inspiring mommying, wish-she-was-your-next-door-neighbour-&-best-friend, wisdom, and amp; wit. i'm thrilled to welcome the fabulous gabrielle blair of design mom as our event 2 judge.


a little bit about this nicey: Gabrielle Blair is a graphic designer and mother of six: Ralph, Maude, Olive, Oscar, Betty & Flora June. Together, they make a lot of stuff. Currently, the whole family is living in a farmhouse in the French countryside. The house has a name instead of an address. The farmhouse is furnished, so the only things they packed were clothes. And a glue gun. And their glitter set. And two Exacto knives. That is a true story.

Gabrielle's blog, Design Mom
, was named a Website of the Year by Time Magazine. Gabrielle just about fainted when she heard the news. She did not faint when she went into labor with her 6th baby, but she wanted to. Gabrielle is also a founder of Kirtsy , a popular social media site for women, and Altitude Design Summit, the premiere conference for design and lifestyle bloggers.

gabrielle blair


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he's helped to craft some of everyone's favourite & most beautiful MAKING-magazines EVER, and his brilliant eye for great design is second to none! a jubilant welcome to the fabulous andrew wagner, our event 1 judge. 

a little bit about this nicey:  Andrew Wagner hails from Davis, California, and has long been fascinated by the power of place. In 1996 he founded Dodge City Journal, a magazine dedicated to documenting life in America’s under-explored cities. He went on to launch LIMN, the unorthodox design and arts magazine. Next up, he was the founding managing editor and eventual executive editor of Dwell magazine, helping the publication score an ASME award. In 2006 he moved to New York to relaunch American Craft magazine and in 2009 he became the chief brand officer of ReadyMade magazine. 

Lest you think he is a “magazine guy”, Andrew has also played guitar in the band Lucky Pierre, built one of the largest skate ramps in Northern California, been a guest lecturer at University of California Berkeley and Columbia University; and currently plays on the semi-pro baseball team, the Downtown Bulls. He recently launched a new column, “What You Make of It”, in the New York Times, which he hopes you’ll heartily enjoy. 

 andrew wagner 

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truly... etsy's great.  etsy's made MAKING more accessible, engaging, relevant, hip & EVEN MORE FUN than ever,  thanks in great part to the nicies that are the fabulous etsy staff. this year, two etsy superstars: christine domanic & morgan evans combine their fabulous creative superpowers as event 6 judges. so excited to welcome you both! 

a little bit about this nicey: I like to spend most of my time crafting, hiking in the woods, making
people eat raw food, riding my bike, kayaking and taking care of my
many carnivorous plants, cacti and terrariums.
I'm a Merchandising Specialist at Etsy where I also sell my handmade


a little bit about this nicey: As Etsy's Community Strategist, Morgan is happiest when bringing people together. Her main focus at Etsy is on the Teams program, where anyone on Etsy can self-organize, meet people with common interests and collaborate. Through the vast and vibrant world of Etsy she is able to help provide resources and build tools that make it easier for artists and crafters from all over the globe to come together and make a difference. A native New Yorker, Morgan attended Oberlin College and lived in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico before returning to the East Coast in 2009 when she began working for Etsy as a screenprinter. She lives in Brooklyn, draws comics, rides a bike and surrounds herself with people who inspire her.

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there's not a better handmaking cheerleader around than creative-superstar jessika hepburn. AND she's truly one of the most genuine, most kind, community-building, creativity-affirming folks in the blogosphere.

so with 3 cheers let's welcome jessika as
our event 5 judge!

a little bit about this nicey: If I needed to sum my life in two words they would be community & creativity. From creating opportunities for inner city families to running a rural non-profit centre, for over 10 years I have been making the world more joyous through creative collaboration & social entrepreneurship. This passion led me to purchase Oh My! Handmade in 2010 on instinct. The goal: to create a thriving online community while making pretty things and all sorts of new friends. My sense of compassion and integrity found a home with our community and called many like minded folk to Oh My! Handmade. With over 30 regular contributors, 150k+ monthly readers,  and new projects like our Guide to Businessy Goodness launching in April, the site is growing and changing daily! Now I spend my days surrounded by talented entrepreneurs on a similar mission of joyful world domination. I help passionate dreamers like myself reach for the stars while keeping our feet on the ground and food in the fridge. My goals have always been bigger then my body could hold so I found a way to share them with others like you. Oh My! Handmade continues to grow and expand beyond my wildest hopes with new opportunities and connections daily. I am so grateful for the chance to build community and support creative entrepreneurs around the world!



jessika hepburn

oh my handmade | facebook | twitter
join in her weekly #omhg chats for creative entrepreneurs! 
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he creates beauty, inspires & mentors the loveliest kind of aesthetics, and has an amazing eye for impeccably creative handmade style. we're super-excited to welcome the brilliant & charming paul lowe (editor & stylist extraordinaire!) as our event 4 judge. 

 a little bit about this nicey: Paul Lowe, a real Norwegian Viking who came to New york 6 years ago and didn't leave. Runs Sweet Paul Magazine, an online food and craft magazine. Is a very nice guy, likes eggs and vintage plates and is great at taking very long bubble baths. A very crafty dude that loves anything handmade. Lives in Brooklyn with man and dog. 


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kathreen ricketson is a creative mastermind. she expertly & lovingly brings together artists & crafters of all callings thru her brilliant & beloved site whipup, and inspires us all with her crafty energy, eco-concious creativity & wonderful resourcefulness!

so excited to welcome kathreen as our event 3 judge.

a little bit about this nicey: Whipup.net was founded in 2006 by Kathreen Ricketson. Kathreen is the author of Whip Up Mini Quilts (Chronicle 2010) and Little Bits Quilting Bee (Chronicle 2011)Kathreen wrote a regular eco craft and lifestyle column for Treehugger back in 2007, then she started quilting and writing books for Chronicle. In 2010 she wrote a semi-regular craft column for Woman’s Day Australia. In between all of this she was the designer at Art Monthly Australia Magazine. In 2011 she finished working on a series of children’s craft books for Hardie Grant - they are called Kids’ Crafternoon and are aimed at 8 to 12 year olds. More recently she has been writing, editing, designing and publishing a kids e-magazine: Action Pack.
kathreen ricketson
whipup | twitter
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a 2011 handmade olympics GOLD medal winner herself,  dana willard's beloved blog MADE thrills its readers with fabulous tutorials, engaging CELEBRATIONS &  delightful doses of practical parenting, crafty creativity & more!

so excited to welcome dana as our event 7 judge.  


a little bit about this nicey: Dana authors the popular DIY sewing, design, and photography blog--MADE.  Her designs have been featured in multiple sewing books, print magazines, and online creative sites.  Her first book, Fabrics A to Z, publishes in April and outlines everything you'll ever need to know about fabric.  She lives in the hot city of Austin, TX with her husband and three kids.

 dana willard


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so there's a little look at our superstars!  
hope you'll send some love their way, and be sure to visit their amazing projects + cheer them on!



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thanks so much for your comments, nicies!
it's a joy to read what everyone writes here.
thank you!