Honestly, who really wants to come back to see a reminder that says:

…That’s not exactly getting me in the mindset to think creatively.

But what if we chose to use these little spaces as an opportunity to make a bolder, more expressive statement? What if everyone looked at these as mini-canvases as a chance to make a bold & bright statement, offering inspiration, passion and a little light-heartedness?  The world of “note-jotting” would be transformed!

Take the previous “Brainstorming Meeting at Noon” example.  Look at how a little creativity changes the entire message:

Now these are some inspiring stickies!

Try it out and see for yourself.  Find out first hand, what an impact a little self-expression and creative thinking has on your entire day. 

Check out SharpieUncapped for more inspiring ideas!

Valentine’s Day Memories!  

Memories are like pictures for your soul.  When you think back to that moment, you can see every detail, hear every sound, smell every scent, taste every last morsel —  it all comes rushing back to you in an instant just with one thought. Valentine’s Day is tough though.  There is a lot of pressure to make this one day memorable, a  day that will be remembered and cherished forever.  Do we achieve that every year? Maybe. Maybe not.  Either way a memory is made and we add yet another snapshot to our internal photo album.

So what’s the best or worst  memory you have of Valentine’s Day?  Every one has some story to tell, what’s yours?  Maybe you had that perfect Valentine’s Day that you will never forget.  Maybe you had a magical night with your sweetheart and to this day it was the best night of your life!  Did you get a bad rash from the “roses” your lover bought you?  Did you bloat like a blowfish post-VDay chocolates?  Tell us about your VDay memory –  we want to know!

When we were downtown we got a few people chatting about their VDay memories -  here are new videos from the on-street interviews:

Join the conversation on Facebook where you can comment and upload your own videos and pics!   We will be posting more videos through the 14th so check back to see fi you or any of your friends are posted!

Don’t forget, all the videos are uploaded on Youtube. 

♥ ♥ ♥

Grant Gilliland: Artist, Uncle, Super Model

 Grant Gilliland aka “The Gross Uncle” is a cartoonist and illustrator with a style COMPLETELY his own.  One cool aspect about this artist is that at your request he will put his Sharpie marker to work, sketching anything you wish and ship it out to you for a measly 20 bucks!! (One-of-a-kind art? Yes please!  Placing my order as we stare at monitors) Turning a cool hobby into a career, Gilliland strives to enjoy life, have fun and create work that he loves, while being confident in all that he does.  Combining big talent with an even bigger personality, this young artist has a long and successful road ahead of him.  Let’s dive right into it and find out more about this Sharpie artist…   

 Tell me about yourself!    Hello! My name is Grant Gilliland; I have a blog called “The Gross Uncle” and I love to draw and make things.  I spend the majority of my time drawing cartoons and illustrations for all sorts of reasons…sometimes for clients, sometimes just for fun.  I am based in San Francisco, originally from Ohio, a place where I spent a great deal of time playing and being creative.  As I recall, I also went to high school there, but really all I remember is skateboarding and making funny home movies with my friends.  I also enjoy coffee, bike riding, daydreaming about absurd images, scouring the web for inspiration, and meeting new people.  How did you get started as an artist?  What kind of experience do you have?   I started my artistic career in my high chair, cranking out crayon-styled depictions of geometric cars, amorphous birds, and freakishly proportioned people. I would probably stop a minute to spit up or scream some gibberish towards the sky, then after wiping my face and getting something to drink, it was back to work… Come to think of it, not much has changed since then…besides the fact that I use a regular chair now. 

 When I was a little older, I took art classes after school and then once I got too cool (air quotes) for those, I started making comics with some of my friends.  I went to The Columbus College of Art & Design in 2001 and got super-inspired there - It’s when I started to take art a bit more seriously. After graduating with a Bachelor’s in Illustration, I balanced a part-time job as a barista with freelance work.  I started getting my feet wet and figuring out my style and eventually met up with my agent, Scott Hull in 2007.  I am still pretty new to the world of freelance illustration and am looking forward to what things I am inspired to make in the future.    

Gilliland's work displayed at an art show

 How would you describe your personal style?  This personal style recipe yields one to two editorial illustrations, one overworked 4×4 painting and about half a dozen blog posts with too much writing, it serves an infinite number of portions if rationed correctly. 

• 1/2 cup of season 1 Ren & Stimpy mix
• 4 tsp of Surrealism
• 1 page of The Maxx comic book, shredded
• 2 small vinyl figures from Kid Robot (under $40), massaged in oil
• 1 Sonic the Hedgehog cartridge (Sega Genesis), quartered and cut into large pieces
• Pictoplasma to taste
• 1 pot strong black coffee
• sarcasm to taste

Directions:  Mix in a blender. Pour over a 4 year art-school education, slowly adding strong black coffee to the batter, while playing a post-punk mixtape in the background. Sprinkle sarcasm over the condensed result. Let bake in the California sun for four years, and enjoy.  

Where do you draw inspiration from?  I spend a lot of time absorbing podcasts, YouTube videos, music, comedy albums, you name it… I just like hearing creative material from people.  If there is a sense that they know what they’re doing and have their own voice, usually I’m game to listen.  I get in these modes where I get into a certain podcast and just listen to it nonstop…even if I don’t really like it all that much or wouldn’t want someone to walk in on me listening to it.  I will go into the archives and listen to the whole thing – sometimes I will listen to the same episode several times.  I guess I’m sort of sponge-like when it comes to most things…sometimes vaguely loofa-like, but rarely.  How do you use Sharpie markers in your work?  What is your favorite Sharpie?!   I like the way Sharpie markers make a nice strong line.  I have used other pens in the past, but I always ended up coming back to Sharpie for their consistent quality.  I love the way they draw on laser jet photo paper…so smooth!  I like the regular fine-point Sharpie marker…I have about two dozen lying around at any given time. 

 Where did you come up with the idea to sell $20 Sharpie drawings?  How does this work?  I wanted to sell something on my blog that was affordable and fun for me to make.  The cool thing about doing these drawings is that I get to post them on the blog and say who they are for and where they are being mailed.  People seem to like the idea, and each drawing is made just for them. Also, it’s really helped me loosen up…the more people that order the drawings, the better they will get because of all the great drawing practice I’m getting. All you need to do to get your own is email me at seegrantdraw@yahoo.com and ask! I am open to creative suggestions and I will gladly draw your dog. 

What children’s books have you illustrated for?   Just one.  The book is called “Theo” and there is a blog where you can check the whole thing out (http://theobook.blogspot.com).  The book was conceived and written by the talented author Kentucky Lim.  We are planning a whole series of books together.    

Theo

So tell me, do you have a gross uncle or are you the Gross Uncle?  Maybe I should just ask this: Where did you come up with the name for your blog? 

 I him!  He me!  We be me!

…Actually, the whole alias came about one summer when I was thinking about how great and sneaky it would be to have this “alter ego” that I could get extra illustration work as.  So there’s Grant with his cute little round style and then there’s The Gross Uncle with his bizarre, awkward, hairy drawings…and all the time it’s just one guy.  I basically scrapped the idea when I decided to use the name for my blog, so I just ended up mixing elements from the two styles over time.  Nowadays, The Gross Uncle moniker gets used the most when I participate in gallery shows…seems to fit…and it’s easier to say than my last name.   

If you could design for any one person who would it be? Why?  I would design for the auto-tune machine because that’s the most popular singer these days.  Other than that, I have made a character design for my friend Donny Papermaker…he’s pretty famous on the YouTube nation. 

 I’m curious…What do you think is the “funniest looking appendage” and why?  Great question! I like the nose. That’s an appendage, right?  There are just so many great ways to make a nose…you can abstract it and add all sorts of funny joints and angles and planes that shouldn’t be there and it can really add a lot in terms of visual punch.  If your drawing is looking real good, then you could put a blue nose on a guy and it could work. 

Laser Portrait

Hippie Style

Tattoos

Are you currently working on anything that you can tell us about?  I’m finally getting back around to working on a cartoon show called “Touch Base with Gregg Sween.”  The show is basically a cartoon version of a daytime talk show…it started out as a puppet show that my friend Patrick Kouse and I did last summer.  We performed the whole show live at Fivepoints Arthouse in San Francisco – we only did it twice. We haven’t touched it for a year and now I think it’s time for us to get back in touch with our inner thespians (cue laughter here).   

Anything I didn’t ask that you would like to add?  Yes. Can you direct me to the Instant Sharpie Replacement Hotline?  That would be nice.  I’d put it on speed dial and then a Sharpie representative can send new pens to my house in 2-3 business days. You accept drawings as payment, right?  (Grant, you can reach me (the Sharpie Rep) at 1-800 illlosemyjob) -cue sarcasm here : )   

 Do you have any advice for other young artists? It’s always important to be into what you’re doing for the fun of it.  No matter what circumstances you are under in life, fun plays a major role.  Just being in a good mood can really negate and remove (even permanently) any real or perceived obstacles in life.  Also just keep the world up to date on what you’re doing…post blog entries about it, take progress pictures, share…being active is more important than being really good.What do you hope for in 2010?  There are some major projects that I hope to finish either this year or next…patience can be tough.  Honestly, just to be happy and satisfied with life sounds nice…to be happy with whatever I am working on without doubting it and to spend the rest of my time playing.  

He desgins shoes too!

Find out more about how Grant Uncaps What’s Inside on his website: www.seegrantdraw.com

Check out Grant’s blog: www.thegrossuncle.com!

Want more? Follow him on Twitter and take a look at more of his art on Flickr

]]> http://blog.sharpie.com/2010/01/well-ill-be-a-sharpies-uncle/feed/ 5 http://blog.sharpie.com/2010/01/yes-we-canvas/ http://blog.sharpie.com/2010/01/yes-we-canvas/#comments Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:41:25 +0000 Whitney http://blog.sharpie.com/?p=3016 Continue reading →]]> Deciding on a new piece of art can be intimidating, yes, but what if I told you that you had the option to pick out EXACTLY what you wanted.  You could tailor your art to fit exactly your needs.  We’re talking size, shape, color, patterns… Forget about spending countless hours, days, months hunting for one specific piece, not to mention you wouldn’t have to break the bank to get this art.  Sounds like a dream come true if you ask me!

Well with the new year comes new opportunity, so why not start off 2010 by hanging a one-of-a-kind “(YOUR NAME HERE)” art work on your wall that actually looks pretty spectacular!  All you will need are plain white canvases (it’s up to you how many), Sharpie markers and a bit of creativity and imagination to create art that will update any space!

An option to make this DIY project a bit easier for those who may be intimidated – just do what I did - hunt around online and search for patterns that you like and can recreate.  I found my pattern online and used an assortment of Sharpie permanent markers in Red, Navy Blue, Green and Yellow to draw on plain white, hard wood canvases (see pics below) to make my Sharpie wall art.  The great part about this is that your options are endless – you can choose to make one giant piece, several small canvases, or collect an assortment of sizes.  With so many different Sharpie colors to choose from, when it comes to color and design the choice is completely yours!

Sharpie markers used

Reverse side of canvases

…What do you think?

*Another great thing about canvas art is how free your are to arrange the pieces until you figure out what works best for you.  Have fun with it!

Do you have any Sharpie art work that you’ve made?  Share it with us on our Facebook Page or post it to SharpieUncapped!

A go-to of mine for years as a great gift for the holidays is a framed picture.  Gifting in different ways, whether it’s a scrap book, collage, an engraved picture frame, restoring an old photo or just putting a fun picture in pretty frame found at a store, pictures are always a great gift.

Here is an easy and inexpensive way to add an even more personal touch to this classic holiday gift.  With a plain picture frame, a few Sharpie markers and some stencils (take a look at www.Stencil1.com) you can make a unique gift, tailored to your loved one’s interest.

This video gives step-by-step instructions on how to make the pictured music themed frame and matching card, featuring (drum roll please..) ME! Whitney Kelly (Sharpie PR/Social Media) or as some of you know me @SharpieWhit! (Be kind, please! @SharpieSusan and I made this at work one afternoon. This also my producing, editing, creating, “hosting,” etc…debut. I hope you like it!)

Send in your holiday ideas to SharpieUncapped.com where you can share photos and more tips & tricks to make your mark this season!

Keep visiting the Sharpie Blog all month long for more holiday how-to’s with Sharpie markers!

UNWRAP What’s Inside this Holiday with Sharpie!

~Happy Holidays~

In the spirit of the season, throughout the month of December we will be showing you how Sharpie makes its mark on holiday gift-giving,  decorating, organizing and more!  Through all sorts of how-to videos and pictorals, we will take you through the step-by-step DIY process and show you the tools you’ll need to add a personal touch to the holidays!

Below you will find a list of 25 ways to utilize Sharpie markers to put a creative twist on all of your gift giving, decorating and organizational needs.  Come back and visit to see the how-to videos and pictorals all month long!  Happy Holidays!

1 Think Beyond a White (as well as Red and Green) Christmas – Holiday décors are getting a colorful makeover this December.  Mix it up this year with unique Sharpie marker color combos.  Re-vamp ornaments, paper goods, tree trim and more using Sharpie markers in Magenta and Lime, Turquoise and Red, Berry and Pomegranate.  Kick it up a notch with color and let Sharpie transform white to bright.

2 Tacky Times Two – Throw a tacky-themed holiday party, encouraging guests to come up with their most ridiculous holiday outfits.  Customize holiday sweaters, suspenders, ties, socks and more with Sharpie markers and create a look distinctly your own.  Get twice the tacky with Sharpie Twin Tip markers offering both fine and ultra-fine tips in one marker. 

3 Green-A-Ling– Create your very own flower pot bell ornament for the tree using Sharpie paint markers. Color small terra-cotta flowerpots (available at your local craft store) and let dry.  Personalize the pots with stars, bows, berries and other fun holiday designs.  Thread ribbon (or wire) through the drainage hole to make a loop for hanging.  Loop another ribbon inside the pot and attach a bell.

4 My Tube – Choose from among Sharpie’s 34 bold colors to decorate a roll of solid-colored wrapping paper (tissue, crepe, foil, vellum, craft paper – gift bags too).  Use a stencil or cookie cutter and trace a hand, shoe, leaf, key or other object to create a personalized motif.   Tip:  Use the wrapping paper tube as a gift box to hold kids’ artwork; wrap the tube using your new Sharpie “signature” gift wrap and ship to Grandma.

5 Sharp Cookie – Give the gift that won’t get lost – Sharpie personalized markers imprinted with the name and icon of your choice on the marker barrel.   Smart shoppers give personalized Sharpie markers to friends, family, teachers, postmen, milkmen, hairdressers, receptionists, babysitters, pet walkers, Girl Scout troops, Bunko groups, golf buddies, favorite baristas and more!  For a stocking stuffer with a personal touch, go to www.mysharpie.com to order. 

6 Sharp Bookie – Sharpie-created bookmarks are a good bet for gift-giving.  Make your mark by doodling the usual suspects – dogs, stars, hearts, swirls – or exercise your inner artist and take a stab at recreating art from one of the masters (go online to download inspirations).  Tip:  Use the Sharpie marker itself as the bookmark.  Just clip to the page! 

7 Keeper Cards – Design your own “keeper card.”  Use Sharpie markers to create personalized greeting cards, the kind that won’t wind up in the waste basket.   Kids can create personalized cards for classmates.  Kids tip:  Whip up a mod mosaic in minutes by holding a bundle of Sharpie markers in your hand and drawing circles on circles.

8 Card Jar – Keep track of cards in a holiday-themed box or jar decorated with Sharpie markers.  Use a glass or acrylic box/jar and decorate with these holiday-inspired themes in mind: candy canes, twinkly lights, mistletoe, silver bells.   *Make smaller containers for gift receipts and recipes.

9 Tree Hugger – Write your child’s name in Sharpie marker on a small silver or gold bell.  Help them find a spot on the tree and let them give the bell a ring each night before bedtime to make a holiday wish.  This will become a favorite holiday tradition.

10 Table That– The Stay-cation travel trend is continuing into the holidays.  Use time at home around the table to create one-of-a-kind holiday gifts with Sharpie markers. (2011 UPDATE: Check out Stained by Sharpie fabric markers to make your mark in your festive fanfare)  Embellish socks, t-shirts, sneakers, headbands, belts, backpacks, aprons, picture frames and more.  Kids can make special keepsakes for mom; teens can get creative and add their favorite expressions.  Mom tip:  Create a family of matching tees or sweatshirts – one for everyone in the brood.    

11 A+ in Gift Giving– Send your kids to school with a present teachers can really use – school supplies!  Place an assortment of Sharpie markers in a large soup can covered in plain white paper and decorated with Sharpie markers.  Wrap it up, top with a festive bow and take your seat at the head of the class.

12 Santa‘s Sharpie– Make a list and check it twice with the Sharpie Pen.  The newest addition to the Sharpie family, the Sharpie Pen doesn’t bleed through paper and is perfect for all your holiday writing needs – and it’s now available in a retractable version!  Use it for list-making, note-cards, gift tags, journal writing, work and school – and don’t forget that important letter to Santa!  Make your mark with the Sharpie Pen in black, blue, orange, red, green, or purple (2011 UPDATE: NOW available in Coral, Turquoise, Clover and Hot Pink!).

13 Stock Up – Instead of paying to have names embroidered on holiday stockings, this year buy some white felt and create your own colorful, unique version using Sharpie markers.   Stock the stocking with Sharpie markers to make a permanent impression.

14 Draw The Line – Pick up a copy of your favorite holiday classic at a used book store and carefully remove a page.  Sketch or trace an image right over the print to make a beautiful greeting card, wall decoration, or holiday embellishment.  Laminate or frame your page to preserve for next year. 

15 A Little Flakey – Create a cost-saving winter wonderland by making do-it-yourself snowflakes. Decorate paper with the colors of the season or stay monochromatic with Sharpie Metallic Permanent marker.  Color then fold and cut into snowflake shapes.

16 Made Not Manufactured – Show family and friends how thankful you are for their gifts with homemade, colorful thank-you cards. Design one card with Sharpie markers and make copies to save money on store-bought versions.

17 Tag You’re It – Let loved ones see how truly personal the gift they are receiving is with a one-of-a- kind gift tag.  Liven up your present by adding your own unique way of stating “To” and “From” on a square of card stock.  Tie a Sharpie MINI marker to your tag for the gift tag that keeps on giving.

18 Take A Shine– What better way to top off the perfect holiday gift than with a Stainless Steel Sharpie Permanent Marker.  Add a little extra sophistication and shine to your gift by attaching the Stainless Steel Sharpie with its refillable cartridge and etched logo on the barrel to the top of the package — the perfect complement to your Sharpie Metallic Permanent marker custom-designed gift wrap. 

19 Ring in the Bling – Use a Sharpie Metallic silver marker to ring in the New Year.  Add some bling by creating a silver celebration of party ware – decorate glassware, placemats, votive holders, candlesticks, party hats, favors and more.  Tip:  Use a paper tablecloth and give guests a pack of Sharpie markers as table favors so they can write their resolutions as they count down the New Year. 

20 Wax Poetic – Thinking about throwing out those old candle sticks?  Why not bring new life to them with Sharpie markers.  Use a Sharpie marker and cover them with script writing of your favorite poetic verses.  Combine with Sharpie Metallic silver accents and display year-round. 

21 Holiday Calendar Countdown – With a ruler, cardstock and Sharpie markers, draw out a calendar.  Find small holiday ornaments and trinkets around the house (buttons, pins, last year’s holiday card cut-outs – any small embellishment) and stick magnets onto the back of each.  Hang your calendar on refrigerator and use your magnetic ornaments to count down the days of your holiday season!

22 Pen The Perfect Present – Assemble a gift box full of Sharpie Pens (in all six colors – black, blue, red, green, orange, purple).  Top the gift off with several sheets of pretty stationery, perfect for the art enthusiast with a penchant for the age-old art of letter writing. 

23 You’ve Been Framed – Bring life to a plain white picture frame by doodling inspiring words around the edges in black Sharpie marker.  Insert a black-and-white photo for an elegant holiday gift.  Attach a matching hand-made gift tag with a thoughtful message.  Write your note in red with a Sharpie marker to give the gift a little pop!

24 For Keep Sake! – Start a holiday memories book.  As the holidays wind down, pass around a book of blank pages and have your family take turns writing a special holiday message.  What was your favorite moment or memory?  Best present? What are you thankful for?  Build a collection of wonderful memories and create a keepsake that can be shared for generations to come. 

25 Ahead of the Pack – Once the holidays are over, it is important to organize all of your decorations, ornaments, lights, etc. so things don’t get lost or forgotten.  Label boxes with Sharpie markers and store them away neatly.  Pack smart with Sharpie and spend time with family and friends instead!

Share your Holiday sharpie creations and tips with us too! What are your favorite ways to use your Sharpie markers during the Holidays?

Become a fan of Sharpie onFacebook!

Unwrap What’s Inside!

This is a VERY simple project and I bet that we can get through it in 5 easy steps!

Here’s what you’ll need:

A piece of cardboard/poster board, 31 small wooden ornaments, glue, a Sharpie Metallic, Sharpie Oil Based Paint markers in White (not shown below) and Metallic Gold (Metallic Silver is also available) and a Black Fine Point Sharpie.

(I used brown poster board, serving as the back of the calendar)

1st Step

Color your ornaments silver, gold and white with your Sharpie markers. 

2nd Step

After the ornaments are colored, skatter them around on the poster board to your liking and glue them down. 

3rd Step

Next, number each ornament 1 through 31 in numerical order with a Black Fine Point Sharpie.  Try using different font styles to give the calendar a little extra somethin’!

4th Step

With your Black Fine Point Sharpie, write “DECEMBER” along the left side of the calendar. 

…and VOILA!

There you have it, your very own custom made seasonal calender that can be used year after year!

This season, UNWRAP WHAT’S INSIDE and discover all the creative uses for Sharpie markers and pens!  Stay tuned for more pictorial How-Tos, Video How-Tos (plus outtakes!), gift ideas and more.

*Happy Holidays*

I’m not going to give you Webster’s version, instead, here’s my own… To Uncap What’s Inside means to let your true colors show; to express yourself, to let your personality and creativity out and embrace what makes you, YOU!  At Sharpie, we believe that these markers and pens can help people express themselves creatively, turning the everyday into one-of-a-kind works of art – something uniquely your own! 

Here is a perfect example of a 12 year old girl who has taken this phrase to heart and has done just that – she Uncapped What’s Inside of her!

12 year old Maddie Chaffer of Grand Rapids, Michigan is an avid Beatles fan and wanted to stand out from the crowd when entering 7th grade.  With an assortment of Sharpies, she “Yellow Submarined” her trombone and will certainly stand out from the crowd with her MaddieC. Original musical instrument! 

Thanks for sharing your idea with us Maddie! Way to Uncap!

Get out your Sharpie and see what you can do!  

Upload your pics to the Gallery at SharpieUncapped.com

Urbane Apartments celebrated the grand opening of their new Michigan location in a unique way.  On October 22^nd, owner Eric Brown hosted the Sharpie “Draw on the Walls” contest by opening up the space to the public and inviting 12 local artists to create innovative and eccentric designs on the walls of the building’s Co-Work space’s meeting rooms.

*The Co-Work space is designed for small to medium sized companies needing a trendy office space, as well as for Urbane residents’ use of office machines and desk space.

 The winner of the Sharpie “Draw On the Walls” contest and $750 was Urbane resident, Ryan Gardner.  I think that the best way to describe Gardner’s creation (this pun just happens to fit perfectly) would be this:  Uncapping What’s Inside of an imaginative mind. Now, I know that you think I’m just plugging the Sharpie campaign, but seriously, look at the pics and tell me that’s not a pretty accurate description!

1st place Winner, Ryan Gardner

Gardner, Writing on the Walls with Sharpie!

Spotlight on the Winner!

With about 100 attendees, the event was a success.  Taking place in the Co-Work space, the 12 artists drew live on the walls with an assortment of Sharpie markers.  The outcomes are pretty amazing! (See pictures below.) I don’t know about you but I get nervous writing my name on a nametag with 1 person watching, let alone 99 people watching me draw on a wall –Talk about pressure.  I have to give big props to the artists.  Great work guys; you’ve made Sharpie proud!

In addition to live art, Urbane Apts. also provided drinks & appetizers, gave property tours, hosted a live raffle, all the while, moving to the beats of DJ Terry Hall, with photographer Rachel Wade capturing every Sharpie moment!

Here are some pics of the artists drawing at the Urbane Apt. event!

For more on the event check out Urbane on Facebook and their blog.  Of course get the scoop about Urbane Aprtments at www.urbaneapts.com

Sharpie? Yes, please! www.sharpie.com

Meet Donna Karan, American fashion designer and the creator of the Donna Karan New York and DKNY clothing labels.  Growing up in NY, Donna Karan was influenced by fashion from a young age by her step-father, a tailor and her mother who was a model.  After attending Parson’s School of Design for two years, she began designing for Anne Klein and eventually head of the Anne Klein design-team.  In 1985 she left to start her own company that quickly became known for her Essentials line, which offered 7 easy pieces every woman should own.  Three years later, in ’88 the DKNY collection was introduced,  as a modern, moderately-priced young collection, drawing from the spirit of big city life.

Karan’s clothing is designed to enhance and look good on every woman, not just coming down the runway.  Donna Karan is known to support the needs of modern women with her clothing. The saying goes, that before the production of a piece of clothes is approved by Karan, it has to look good on her! 

Find Donna Karan’s fashions at Donna Karan New York.  This desinger’s information was acquired at Fashion Infomat. 

Designer: Jill Stuart

Designer Jill Stuart was deep into the fashino industry since birth, as her parents owned a popular ’60s Manhattan clothing store called Mister Pants, dressing stars including Natalie Wood and Lucille Ball.  Leveraging those connections, Stuart was able to  jump-start her own career.  At 15, this Manhattan native designer had jewelery and handbags displayed in the windows of high end stores including Bloomingdale’s, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Henri Bendel and Neiman Marcus.  

The Jill Stuart label became well known for innovative ad campaigns with top fashion photographers.  While other designers were going grunge in the early 90′s Stuart turned to preppy and plaids, which became notoriously linked to the popular teen movie, Clueless.  Stuart’s feminine, sometimes frilly collections can be found in her Soho flagship, as well as in higher-end department stores, and has come to include handbags, shoes, and perfume. In 2007, Stuart launched a secondary line called Jill by Jill Stuart featuring ready-to-wear pieces at lower prices.

You can find Jill Stuarts beautiful collections at JillStuart.com.

All designer information was found from an article featured in New York Magazine. 

Designer: Tia Ciabani, Ports 1961

Designer: Rachel Roy

Originally from California, Rachel graduated from Washington DC then moved to New York to pursue her passion for design, working freelance – styling magazine shoots and music videos ultimately landing an internship at Rocawear where she was able to master her craft and build several influential relationships.  In Fall 2004, Roy introduced her own collection, RACHEL ROY, which debuted in department and specialty stores for Spring 2005. Using her sophisticated aesthetic to her own collection, incorporated with striking silhouettes, a sophisticated color palette and day-to-night pieces, Roy has attracted editorial acclaim in publications such as Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, W and Vanity Fair.

Dressing icons and starlettes including the likes of Michelle Obama, Kate Hudson, Lucy Liu and Penelope Cruz, also featured on The Oprah Winfrey show, RACHEL ROY is making a prominent and influential mark on fashion.  

RACHEL ROY NEW YORK has grown to include four full collections each year and recently created a joint venture with Jones Apparel Group Inc. in the hopes of expanding the wholesale business globally, introduce new product categories and open stand-alone stores in the United States and abroad.  To date, the RACHEL ROY collections are available at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and top specialty stores worldwide.

Click HERE to find stunning RACHEL ROY collections.

All of this designer’s information was found at RachelRoy.com

City of Hope:

Hundreds of fundraising events are held for City of Hope across the nation each year. Every dollar raised advances our mission to transform innovative research into treatments that save lives here and around the world. Hundreds of thousands of people share your desire to make a difference by driving us to work even harder to conquer cancer and other serious diseases. On behalf of patients and their loved ones, we invite you to join the effort.

Such Events include: Walk For Hope, Eggleston Desert Gold Classic , Fight For Life and the Sierra Madre Wine and Jazz Walk.  

Breast Cancer Facts:

The seriousness of invasive breast cancer is strongly influenced by the stage of the disease; that is, the extent or spread of the cancer when it is first diagnosed. There are two main staging systems for cancer. The American Joint Committee on Cancer classification of tumors uses information on tumor size and how far it has spread within the breast and nearby organs (T), lymph node involvement (N), and the presence or absence of distant metastases (spread to distant organs) (M). II, III, or IV is assigned, with stage I being an early stage and stage IV being the most advanced. The AJCC staging system is commonly used in clinical settings.

 A simpler system used for staging of cancers is known as the SEER Summary Stage system and is more commonly used in reporting to cancer registries and for public health research and planning.  According to this system:

– Local-stage tumors are cancers confined to the breast.

– Regional-stage tumors have spread to surrounding tissue or nearby lymph nodes.

– Distant-stage cancers have metastasized (spread) to distant organs.

This information was provided by the American Cancer Society’s Breast Cancer Facts and Figures 2009-2010.  Find the PDF version HERE.

Auction Details:

Visit www.sharpieuncapped.com to participate in the auction and bid on designers’ Sharpie art work  and be sure to read Works of Art From the Heart for more info on the auction and Know the Facts 1 & 2.

Sharpie, Uncap What’s Inside!