When it comes to people passionate about Sharpie, we didn’t have to look far. They’re everywhere, just Google! What was hard was deciding who to invite to “represent” and become members of our first-ever fan club, of sorts. The Sharpie Squad is made up of people who talk and teach and tantalize us with their amazing Sharpie ideas and creations. From thrifty Sharpie decorating tips to Sharpie-designed skateboards, art, illustrations and more, these are the people who breathe life into our product and make it shine.  

And for their efforts, we want to show them some Sharpie love. As inaugural members, they’ll be among the first to see and try our new products. We’re also going to showcase their Sharpie ideas and creations on our new community site, sharpieuncapped.com.  And it wouldn’t be official without a personalized Sharpie Squad marker, arriving to members soon! Visit mysharpie.com and you can get one too, personalized your way.

Please be sure to visit their sites as they continue to show us what’s possible with Sharpie. 

THE SHARPIE SQUAD LINEUP

Laura Rowley understands just how far a Sharpie marker (or two!) can go to help families save.  With a little help from Sharpie, it’s easy to create “designer” versions of favorites like backpacks, folders, sneakers, jeans, t-shirts and more  — so you spend less on the pricier versions and end with a one-of-a-kind little something you’ve personalized yourself.  It’s a win-win with Sharpie!  Laura is a journalist specializing in personal finance and values, and author of Money & Happiness: A Guide to Living the Good Life. Along with her Yahoo! Finance column, she blogs at www.moneyandhappiness.com/blog.  Rowley is an ardent consumer advocate who is passionate about helping people identify their deepest values, set goals and manage the complex decisions and risks involved in achieving them. Married with three daughters, she lives what she preaches, showing readers how to get the best deals, avoid debt, invest wisely and strive for work-life balance. Rowley has been tapped as a value expert on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, the Fox Network, NPR and dozens of other broadcast programs and print and online media. She is a former reporter and producer for CNN in New York, reporting on-air for “Your Money” and “Business Unusual,” and the former money columnist for Self magazine. Her freelance writing has appeared in The New York Times, Parents and other publications.

Laura Kelly is an official Sharpie Guru and proud member of the Sharpie Squad.  Her art is created with Sharpie markers to create bright, bold and simple designs that uplift the human spirit.  Laura says she lives in a world as whimsical as her art. Surrounded by people who share her aspirations to generate joy, happiness and empowerment in a vibrant, organized environment, she fills notebook after notebook with playful Sharpie drawings inspired by everyday images: a child chasing a butterfly, a bouquet of flowers, a pair of cowboy boots, a swirl here and a curl there. Suddenly, a new collection is born.   Laura currently licenses her work to companies in a variety of industries including gift, stationery, gourmet food and home décor as well as bank products.  She also owns her wholesale company, Laura Kelly Designs, which manufactures stationery products for stores around the country. When she isn’t working on her licensable portfolio, you will find her painting, baking, gardening, playing with clay or making stuff out of recycled stuff.  She is also a active member of the Greeting Card Association, Craft and Hobby Association where she serves of the Trend Team and a delegate to the National Stationery Show.

Erin of Things Moms Like, a popular review and giveaway blog, is the mother of two (6 and 13).  She has worked as an event planner and promoter.  She is frequently speaks at parenting conferences all over the country and enjoys traveling.  Erin enjoys offering fabulous contests and honest reviews to parents all over the world with her blog.  She uses Sharpies daily!

Kristin is the mother to Kai and Brooklin, a newborn and four year old spunky girl. She’s a busy full time college student living in Oregon.  She chronicles the daily life of just another Ordinary Mom. Kristin and Del love to share their journey as a family. Together they spend time learning and growing as a family. Kristin is the owner of Our Ordinary Life; a blog in which she talks about her journey through life as a Mom, and college student. She enjoys keeping it real and always has an opinion about something. Since her second daughter was just born Kristin has been busy with her ever changing family.   Kristin has been featured and works along side many wonderful companies. She’s always sharing what her family finds useful and is involved in many projects around the blogpshere. She is one of Frito Lay’s Fab 15 moms and is also one of the lucky Frigidare Test Drive Moms. You can also find her tweeting away on Twitter with her fellow moms who blog.

Linsey Knerl is the mom behind Lille’ Punkin Reviews and is always on the lookout for the next best thing when it comes to making her life easier. As a free resource for parents and friends of parents, Knerl offers regular, unbiased opinions of a variety of family-friendly items.

Lauri Harrison is founder of MomToBeDepot.com and is a blogger for several media sites including Working Mother magazine and Examiner.com. She’s the mom of a tot and a teenager and informs parents about great new products. 

Travis Todd creates sharpie art on everyday objects from lunch boxes to automobiles.  He even carries a sharpie on his key chain where ever he goes in case he wants to create “instant art”.  He has become renowned on the online automotive forum community for his creations on the hood of his “Sharpie Artcar”.  He has developed his own style that is a blend of elegant scroll work and graffiti style art.  He says that people tend to see what they want to see in his artwork.  You can find some of his works on his Flickr page @ www.flickr.com/spdu4ia.

Lunchbagart.com is where Derek Benson shares the designs he creates on his kids’ lunch bags every day with intricate drawings of cartoons, super heroes and a variety of other artwork. During his own lunch breaks in San Diego, California, where he creates art for video games, Benson uses Sharpies to create his unique designs. His drawings have been featured in Parents magazine and can be seen on his blog or via his twitter account.

Mark Rivard is known for his skateboard art covering a wide variety of genres and designs. Based out of Breckenridge, Colorado, Rivard’s work has been seen in exhibitions around the world, including shows in Belgium, Denver, Detroit, Seattle and New York City. Rivard takes his Sharpies with him while traveling to teach and inspire with art.  

Jon E. Nimetz and his website, superfineart.com, are both based out of Venice, California, where Jon is a producer, marketer and advertising producer. He is known for his loud personality and passionate style that he emphasizes in his art. He uses a combination of acrylic paint and Sharpie paint markers to create nature-inspired paintings that are both unique and self-expressive.

Jeffrey Fulvimari began his illustration career in 1993 with commissions for Barney’s New York and Interview magazine. He went on to work in all aspect of printed media, and his illustrations have been animated on Nickelodeon, MTV and VH-1, The Food Network, and in numerous television commercials in Japan. He has also produced a broad range of licensed goods in Japan, with popular product lines launched in the United States, the UK, France, Italy, Mexico, and other territories.

In 2009, Hanna Agar graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography and a minor in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.  For the past few years, she has been creating a lot of artwork involving the use of recycled paper to create sets, costumes, and props that then get photographed.  Often, Hanna writes all over the paper and has the camera on an interval timer so she can photograph the whole process.  She considers her work “documented performance art.”  In addition to her love of Sharpie markers, Hanna currently works as a photographer doing studio work assignments for Volume One Magazine (an arts and culture magazine in Eau Claire, Wis.) and also freelances. In the spring of 2010, she will be returning to southern India to work as a product designer for a women’s organization called “Blue Mango.”