Ho hum… SariBlue has gifted another celebrity, I say with tongue in cheek!! Because let me say, there is nothing mundane about it each time is super thrilling. Now, I don’t like to compare those that I have been lucky enough to gift, it somehow feels like comparing my children, which as a parent (if you are one) you know is simply not right!

But this celebrity is an A+++ Celebrity and qualifies as hot on anyone’s list for Men in Hollywood. He has worked his way up from young TV talent among the ranks of one of my other favorites Justin Timberlake on The Mickey Mouse Club, also with Christina Aguilera and Brittany Spears, no shabby group!

His Movie credits have simply grown exponentially over the years in quality. Most women think of his launching off as a real leading heartthrob as The Notebook (2004) with Rachel McAdams, who of course ended up being a major love in his life and more importantly, to date, has also had a fabulous career on screen, in part because the visible dynamic between she and Ryan on screen.

I do have a confession to make, and for the first time I hope that the giftee does not read my post: My big confession and it is huge as a self-professed filmophile and of course woman who is romantic at heart, here it is, prepare yourself and please do not think less of me….. I have never watched The Notebook in its entirety. Don’t get me wrong, ok, ok, the rain kissing scene, sure sexy, romantic and yes could I look at Mr. Gosling under any circumstances, YES! Here is the thing, I need more from a movie, and I am super hard to please in the romance category.

Most times, the “chic-flicks” are not my thing, and so this one just never held my attention, I know go ahead say it: You are strange girl!!! Yes, yes, that is me…. But wait…. Let me finish!

It sort of bugs me that Ryan; let’s just call him that, it bothers me that Ryan is most well-known for this film because his other films are much better FILMS!

I read a quote of his about acting which I find fascinating, well seriously, anything he says would be fascinating.. But his take on acting and the characters he plays was this: he said that he doesn’t understand when actors say they have “become the character” he feels that all the roles he has had are just a part of his personality. So it is not really a stretch or difficult. I find this a humble approach to what he does.

The best films that Ryan has been in from my perspective are the ones where he has a darker character or a multi-layered character. So in NO order of preference, these are some AWESOME Ryan movies and must see just based on being great overall films:

• Half Nelson (2006): Gritty and good

• Murder by Numbers (2002): With a great Sandra Bullock in a serious role, but really is out acted by this young guy… who? Ryan oh right

• Fracture (2007): This is a fabulous intrigue movie with Anthony Hopkins, a must see film, it is my best friends favorite film

• Lars and the Real Girl (2007): This movie is just plain strange and may not be for everyone, but he is totally awesome in it, not everyone could play this role and it is mastery to watch

• Blue Valentine (2010): Far more romantic to me than that other movie. Not to mention, Ryan is the producer, and wrote the music for this fantastic and heartbreaking movie. Showing so many sides of his multi-faceted talents in this one film if you are a fan this is the one movie to watch

• All Good Things (2010): I have read many reviews of this film that say Ryan does not do his best work, I do not agree. He is fabulous in the movie. He plays a dark and twisted guy married to Kirsten Dunst’s character and she is just superb! A great actor allows their co-actors to shine, which is what happens in this film, he appropriately plays off the light of Dunst’s character where he is the dark. It is a great movie, really well done and he is a huge part of what makes it great

• Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011): A lot like “chic-flicks” I am SUPER picky about comedies. This movie is solidly funny! Great cast, Emma Stone is a favorite of mine and with Ryan, make this one of the better comedies I have watched in sometime! Hey, and if nothing else the scene where he takes his shirt off is worth the price of the rental.. (Sorry, I am a girl after all)

Well friends, my intention was not to give you a review of Ryan Gosling Movies, but apparently I could not help myself, after all I love movies, I love to chat and I really think he is a talented guy. I also wanted to chat a bit about his music and band Dead Man’s Bones which much like his acting is really intense and unique. The best places to hear his music for free mind you is here: http://www.myspace.com/deadmansbones

I could go on and on about his other talents: his musicality, his fashion sense, and his interesting childhood of being home-schooled in Canada, of course his love for his dog George, but I do think we can chat another day.

Thanks for stopping by and reading this post and checking in on SariBlue.  Have a peek at what I designed for Ryan and if you like it give it a little love.

Bracelet for Ryan Gosling

Trinket for Ryan's dog, George

http://www.etsy.com/listing/99618413/om-g-keychain-created-for-gifted-to-ryan

http://www.etsy.com/listing/99616960/om-g-bracelet-created-for-gifted-to-ryan

I am already excited about the next celebrity that I am gifting and crafting something special for, just wait until you hear who!!

Peace and love,

Sari

I hope you saw our post about the Earth Day event that TAG sponsored for an outrageous list of celebrities. The TAG team created eco-friendly gifts which will be delivered to the homes of these celebrities on Earth Day, April 22^nd. Have a peak at my post if you have not had a chance: SariBlue Earth Day Post.

On that list of cool eco-conscious celebs was Drew Barrymore. Which among a long list of very exciting people thrilled me! She is someone who I have admired for a longtime.

As a regular Jane, out in the land of film, art, fashion and music lovers we all formulate our opinions and ideas of what people in the limelight MUST be like. In my mind Drew Barrymore MUST be a really cool person, I have seen her over time change and grow up, basically just like me. She has become who she seems to want to be. She is one of those “in the public eye celebrities” that seem to do things her way without over-doing and not with disregard for her lot in life but in spite of it. I admire her fashion style for its quirkiness in the past and her ability to morph into a unique, comfortable, classy woman while maintaining a real person essence.

I am certain you know about Drew’s film career that is easy, she has been in tons of movies, great movies, funny movies, movies that basically anyone of any age (almost) can recognize. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), although you can argue that she was on camera as a baby in ads and small roles, is what launched her career, so the iconic film is attached to her forever.

But, I am sure it somehow may feel something like calling Mark Wahlberg “Marky Mark”, he REALLY doesn’t like it and it basically has no relevance to the current awesomeness of her well-developed career. (*Side note : Super sorry Mr. Wahlberg, total respect)

Some of my favorite Drew movies include: The Wedding Singer (1998), Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998), and Fever Pitch (2005) say what you will, maybe I love the Red Sox focus or that her co-star is Jimmy Fallon, who I really love and that the movie is set in Boston, but you have to give her some sound credit for a good time.

A few things about Drew that are not as well known: she has her own production company Flower Films and her directorial debut was Whip It (2009) which I thought was really solid!

Her most recent directorial glowing success which has oodles of young Hollywood elite appearing in it is a music video for Best Coast of their song Our Deal. It really is more of a mini-film reminiscent of West Side Story (1961) meets The Warriors (1979). It is fantastic!

Rock out and enjoy it here:

Drew is also very involved in many philanthropic ventures and has a great focus about them on her website: http://www.drewbarrymore.com/

I created a pair of earrings that I really hope she adores. Drew is not someone who lives on Twitter or Facebook like the rest of us, so we may never know, but I am really happy thinking about the fact that she will have a little bit of SariBlue in her collection.

Here are the earrings I made for her, if you see her ask her if she likes her SariBlue earrings:

Ocean Glimmer Earrings for Drew Barrymore by SariBlue

Ocean Glimmer Earrings

SariBlue is super excited to have our business card included in this gifting opportunity and simply amazed at the celebrities who will be made aware of our shop. SariBlue was included in this opportunity because we fit into the eco-friendly profile of the Earth Day focus.

The SariBlue collection (Sari is pronounced “sutter”, means blonde/blondie/yellow in Turkish) uses exclusive Turkish handmade glass beads which are made using centuries old traditional methods to craft the beads.

This method may be one of the oldest eco-friendly recycling techniques around. Turkish artisans collect recycled glass pieces, mix them with special dyes and melt in their primitive adobe furnaces that burn naturally clean-burning pine logs. They shape the red hot molten glass, fuse colors together and create these amazing beads using only simple hand tools. Every bead fashioned has its own identity, lending every SariBlue piece its own distinctive nature. The collection ties together past and present in a distinctive, modern way. Our shop is very focused on finding other ways to support green efforts as well as supporting charities that are focused on spreading the efforts of sustaining the earth and teaching people to use local resourcing. We happily support The Samburu Project and The Walk for Water on March 25^th.

Recipients Of The Earth Day TAG Gifts to Include:

Josh Hartnett

Adrian Grenier

Bill Maher

Dave Matthews

Drew Barrymore

Barbra Streisand

Alicia Silverstone

Cameron Diaz

Courteney Cox

Daryl Hannah

Ed Norton

Ellen Degeneres

Jake Gyllenhaal

Jeremy Piven

Here is what Wikipedia says about Earth Day:

Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth‘s natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the City of Saint Francis, patron saint of ecology. Earth Day was first observed in San Francisco and other cities on March 21, 1970, the first day of Spring. This day of nature’s equipoise was later sanctioned in a Proclamation signed by Secretary General U Thant at the United Nations where it is observed each year. About the same time a separate Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970. While this April 22 Earth Day was focused on the United States, an organization launched by Denis Hayes, who was the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international in 1990 and organized events in 141 nations.^[1][2] Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network,^[3] and is celebrated in more than 175 countries every year.^[4] Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues. In 2009, the United Nations designated April 22 International Mother Earth Day.^[5]

Let’s Talk Oscar Suites

Gifting suites were all the talk leading up to the Academy Awards. The lounges showed off the best of brands at some of the best locations around town.

Roger Neal Style Hollywood Beauty and Couture Suite at the L’Ermitage Beverly Hills provided $10,000 beauty treatments, compliments of their presenting sponsor G.M. Collin.

Celebrity Chef Kurt Ehrlich wowed the guests with his Pear Soufflé, Mango Mousse Torte and my favorite, the Chocolate Grand Marnier Ganache which paired well with Lorimar Winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon.

Classified Cosmetics, the exclusive makeup used in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, showcased their flawless aerobrush makeup. The suite also featured silk scarves from Poshaq, Ulinx magnetic jewelry, and stiletto cuffs paved with Swarovski crystals from Heaven on Heels.

The suite benefited the Andy Transplant Foundation and Safety Harbor Kids.

Eco-Oscars Music, Celebrity and Pet Style Lounge benefited Music Saves Lives and Fur Fitness Foundation at the beautiful Pickford Mansion. Tails were wagging as four-legged companions posed for pet portraits with their new Minky Couture blanket.

Eco-friendly patched denim from SONAS, SOLZ fashionable foldable footwear, DMademoiselle skinsational skin care products, and LifeSource Water Systems were all the bark in Hancock Park.

SNA Legacy Lounge Gifting Suite, at the Redbury Hotel in Hollywood, presented Justin Bieber Singing Toothbrushes from BrushBuddies, PRASAD Medical Skincare, and treatments from Donna Scott Secret Med Spa.

The lounge also featured ShoeMint, a hip collaboration from fashionista Rachel Bilson, stylist Nicole Chavez and shoe-making expert Steve Madden!

GBK Annual Gift Lounge at the W Hollywood glistened with jewelry, great escapes, and fine accessories while benefiting four charitable foundations: Worldteam, HollyRod, Sugar Ray Leonard and Drawing Hope International.

Designs from all over the world adorned the lounge: Chick Boss lei necklaces from Guatemala; Australian black tourmaline handcrafted pendants from Made in Earth; Swarovski crystal and semi-precious stone earrings from Canadian designer Karen McClintock; and Paccioni, the luxury timepiece brand that showcased their stylish collection of watches. The Paccioni Centum launched Oscar weekend giving celebrities the opportunity to custom design their own special edition time piece!

Other sponsors included: Ozonator Green Refrigerator Machine that extends the life of perishable foods; Tkaro transportable glass bottles; Filter 2GO individual water purification products; Vani-T eco-glamour beauty products; Julep toxin-free mani and pedi products; i-Wipey original peel and stick antibacterial screen cleaner for your phone; Gilly’s Organics spa products for your skin and hair; Colantotte/Trion:Z sports products containing magnetic and negative ionic technology; Domodimonti Natural Wine from Italy; and My Pillow premium non-allergenic pillows.

Move over Tumi! Max Mirani travel goods graced the lounge with their MOVE Mobile Closet, a brilliantly designed 2-in-1 cabin-size suitcase with an innovative shelf and compartment system.

The Artisan Group, an exclusive community of 700 talented artisans, gifted an array of handcrafted jewelry, spa products, designer paper products and other items: BeezKneez trendy designer stationary and personalized gifts; SariBlue glass bead jewelry from Turkey; A.W.E metal designs; Oops I Knit it Again super soft hats, blankets, scarves and accessories; and O.C Styles handcrafted gifts.

High-profile online magazine LasThePlace.com has featured GBK’s Golden Globe event where SariBlue has gifted the ONE pendant to celebrities like Jeremy Irons, Tess Hunt and Ali Fedotowsky!

The Artisan Group Showcases Speciality Items at the GBK’s Golden Globe Awards Gifting Lounge

As you will read in this feature, it’s been a great experience to be part of this dynamic team! Be sure to explore the blog and The Artisan Group website for information on their events. You’ll also learn about the members of TAG and their top notch work!

We caught up with Christine and asked her a few questions about her unique “evil eye” jewelry line, and her experiences so far working with TAG. Here’s what she said:

I admire and appreciate Penny Cheng for her lovely work and her selfless support for her fellow artists. She is such a sweetheart

Please make sure to pay a visit to her blog Jewelry by Saniki Creations

Meet Christine Lorenzo of Sari Blue Jewelry, Featured Artist

Being a Jewelry Designer for a few years now, I can usually spot a designers niche, a signature touch, to what they produce… In other words, if I see a necklace/earrings/bracelet, most times I can tell you who designed it by what the technique, or materials used.

One such jewelry designer I can spot right away by looking at a piece is Christine Lorenzo of Sari Blue Jewelry. A fellow member of The Artisan Group, Christines signature Evil Eye Jewelry Creations is anything but evil.

Take a look:
How and when did you discover your love for your craft/art?

SariBlue was established Spring, 2011.

My love for the deep reaching cultural philosophy of the Evil Eye developed more than six years ago when I began traveling to Turkey on a regular basis and feel in love with its art, history, food, and of course its people. I became aware that this new love was strong because the culture was so similar to the Italian culture in which I was raised.

Sometimes, when I share with people that it was as if the Nazar Boncuk spoke to me and it felt like the collection was meant to be, they look at me in a little bit of a strange way… But I could not be more serious! I had a few futile attempts in the past to create jewelry. Once I started to play with these beads, make a few pieces, it came together so nicely. I truly adore the beads and the history behind them.

I have loved art, music, movies all things creative my entire life, I don’t remember not loving these things. But it is only recently that I have started to have enough confidence in myself to really let go of what holds me back from being creative on my own and not just and appreciator of artistic things.

Do you remember the first piece you ever made?

Yes, totally. I had tried long before my SariBlue days to make jewelry. It was AWFUL. I mean really bad. I did not have any mojo whatsoever!! I tried to use leather and metal and really awful things to make necklaces. It just did not come together at all, the work did not hold, the piece was ugly. It failed and I was crushed. The first piece I made for SariBlue, however, was much better, I mean it was no masterpiece but it was pretty, it flowed, it made sense for what it was! It did not fall apart, and it felt right. There is something to be said for timing, finding your medium and also your happy place, I feel really lucky.

Every Artist has a creative process, can you explain yours?

I wish I felt like I could. I actually try not to over think it. Most of the other parts of my life are so overthought. The artistic part is where I try very hard to un-think. Although, many of the pieces are symmetrical which I suppose requires thought LOL. What I mean is I don’t like to necessarily have the same process all the time, or even always work in the shop. I will pack up and work other places to see if it gets any news ideas by moving around. Free-form is more the way I like it. Of course the concepts for the collection are already there, but I have other ideas for future concepts once these take off!! Balance and symmetry are part of the notion for the collection along with peacefulness and good intentions so short of that, really the process just comes along…

When people start doing their craft/art, they tend to try a lot of different things before settling down to something that resonates with them. How has your work changed since you began?

Well I think I sort of answered this above. Honestly, it has a lot to do with where I am as a changing person more so than the work. It is timing and finding myself and the ideas just spill right out. When you get rid of your demons and you can look at yourself in the mirror your work is so much better.

What inspires you creatively?

I have said this to other people before, the Evil Eye inspires me. The history of it, the notion of it and the power of it, the positivity you feel. I am a really really passionate person, when I am serious about something or care about something it will engulf my thoughts. Inspiration for me comes from everything, literally I can find it in all things and I really try to help those around me see it as well. That does not mean I am always inspired, I mean there have been weeks and weeks where I feel totally unable to bring it!! But it always comes back! The things in my life that inspire me are: my wonderful girls, music I love music, art in almost any medium, other impassioned positive people, a fantastic movie – normally something that is somewhat melancholic or has a good amount of dark humor, go figure, and generally a good story! I really need to be around others that are passionate and can find things to be inspired by no matter their own story or path. It is a deep dive if you are in a circle of people who look at the world as a place without inspiration.

Can you tell us about some important goals you have achieved with your work?

My work has given me such amazing success this year personally. I really feel comfortable with myself as a business person again which is so rewarding, I have a true sense of calm around my life after a long upheaval, it may seem very silly but my daughters tell me almost daily how proud they are of me and so far this seems to be the most amazing feeling. The creative part of my brain is working all the time and it has enabled many other things to be transformed for me.

Who are some of your favorite artists/crafters and why?

I have always loved painters, I am drawn to it I think because it is something I just have no talent for at all! I have a slight (OK massive) obsession with Caia Koopman who has this ability to give emotion, and realism to dream like figures. She has also been extraordinarily successful in terms of a business. She has partnered with Oakley and other massive brands that use her art. Very impressive on many levels, j’adore!!! My other favorites are TAG and Etsy artists and for fear of breaking the hearts of any of my friends I plead the fifth. There are so many artists who deserve recognition for the work in their genre and I hope other artists will keep supporting one another as a goal.

Any goals for the future you would like to share?

My goals are to continue on this path, continue to work extremely hard and hope this work will put me in the direction of something good. I hope I will be able to do this for a long time.

What do you do in your spare time?

LOL!! There is no spare time for me!! I still have a “real job” for a few hours a week! I have the shop and two small girls, so every moment is filled. No down time for me!!! Which is actually the way I like it!

If you are displaying or selling your craft/art? Where?

I sell online mostly (via the website, etsy) and during the kind weather at juried artisan fairs.

If you sell online or at physical store. How many hours per week to you spend in the creative side versus the business side?

This is a hard question to answer and is determined sometimes by the events and activities going on. The ramp up for a new business, any business is a lot, and if the focus is to be a business and not just create for the fun of it (as is my case) much of this year has been spent on the business side more than half my time. I hope once the foundation is strong this will shift a bit.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start out or start a business in their craft/art?

Be confident. Be certain that what you are starting is something you really love and are not just good at, there needs to be a balance.

*****

Thank you Christine, for sharing your beautiful work to us. For more information and to purchase Christine’s signature Evil Eye collection visit her at her Etsy Shop

I feel really honored to be featured by Pati Lara on her spotlight at the In Her Shoes Blog. Pati is a fantastic person and I admire her focus on women and how we contribute to the world!

Also huge thanks to my friend Monica Collins from TG Bears for nominating me to be featured among this group of terrific women!

You can find the original article at http://www.in-her-shoes-blog.com/25/post/2012/01/first-post.html

This week’s Spotlight is Christine ‘Sari’ Lorenzo and SariBlue Jewelry

“Beautiful, simply designed jewelry to add peace, positivity and a bit of fun to your style! There’s nothing evil about it….SariBlue.” – Sari Lorenzo

Christine Lorenzo (“famously” known as Sari) describes herself as an Italian American who from birth spent endless hours with her Grandmother and NoniMa (Great-grandmother) listening to their stories and watching and learning their crafts and talents. “These women had such a great sense of self, family, daily purpose, of fitting in.” Six years ago Sari landed an amazing job with an international tech company that required a huge amount of travel. She spent weeks at a time in Turkey and was strongly drawn to the Evil Eye, at first not knowing why. She then began to remember the words of her Noni about certain people who had the power to cast Evil Eyes on others. For Italians the notion is called Malocchio. The Evil Eye is a belief that (crosses many cultures and traditions) a person can bring harm to you simply by looking with envy, then praising you, but with jealousy in their hearts. This simple look can affect evil, harm or misfortune often times unintentionally. The Evil Eye bead is meant to protect the wearer from negative forces or projected thoughts towards them; the bead itself is in fact a “lucky eye” – an amulet meant to defend. This then became somewhat of an obsession along with the amazing Nazar Boncuk, the bead you wear as a good luck charm. “I was hooked. So I was off and running with SariBlue.”

“The business itself has been really fun, such a joy to be working for myself. To be able to start something from scratch that I believe in and has the components of a business that are important to me. Not only the elements of a creative focus but the foundation of being what I call a “kind” business.”

The shop was officially opened in 2011 and thrives on offering a “fun, hip, wear-it-everyday jewelry collection.” Each item is a unique creation of glass beads using centuries-old traditional Turkish methods. Turkish artisans collect and recycle glass and melt it in their furnaces that burn low-carbon pine logs in order to shape the glass, fuse them together and create these amazing beads. Every bead created has its own identity, lending each SariBlue piece its distinctive nature. Anyone will be proud to masterwork of art since not one bead is the same.

Sari’s deep belief on giving back is evident in her relationships with charities and foundations. Here are the direct links:

• Giving Back at SariBlue
• http://www.rtsplace.org/
• http://www.thesamburuproject.org/

Sari is also a proud member of The Artisan Group. SariBlue was featured at the GBK Luxury Lounge at The Golden Globes this January. SariBlue will also be featured at the upcoming Oscars for the TAG/GBK Event and The MTV Movie Awards in an exclusive Lounge this spring. “I am also thrilled to have gifted a number of Hollywood’s Elite custom pieces from my collection.” Earrings crafted for Zooey Deschanel have become one of the most popular items in the SariBlue Shop. Both Jeremy Irons and Ali Fedotowsky were specifically interested in SariBlue at the GBK Event in January.

Mom, “kind” entrepreneur, trendsetter, and generous donor… Sari thank you so much for the inspiration!!!

This is your chance to see all the gifts that the team created for this event. The unveiling of SariBlue’s item comes around 6:15 of the video, it is a lot of fun to listen to these two love birds enjoy this good bag.

Raphael Sbarge was kind enough to share his gift bag from The Artisan Group that he received at GBK Production’s Luxury Lounge event celebrating The 2012 Golden Globes with TTLRN. They did such a magnificient job with the layout and photographing the pieces, don’t you agree?

The magazine has a unique left-to-right layout, so make sure you use the bottom scroll bar in order to see the entire layout and follow all the way to check out the entire TAG display; it is gorgeous!

See the article here.