VIP Breakfast Panel – Women Entrepreneurs
BlogHer Panelist-Closing Session: The intersection of craft, passion and sustainability
Karen is the author of Chookooloonks, an award-winning photoblog and community dedicated to showing how beautiful the world is, one image at a time. Her fine art photography pieces and projects have been included in exhibits around the country. She is a contributor to the book Expressive Photography: A Shutter Sisters’ Guide to Shooting from the Heart, a guide for beginning and intermediate photographers for adding heart and soul to their imagery. Karen’s writing, images, and other projects have been featured on CNN.com and in the magazines Good Housekeeping and Wondertime. Karen’s new book, The Beauty of Different, is a chronicle of imagery and portraiture, combined with written essays and observations on the concept that what makes us different makes us beautiful–and may even be the source of our superpowers. It is available from Bright Sky Press, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.com. The book inspired BlogHer’s Own Your Beauty initiative, where Karen is the lead blogger, and which also appears as part of USA Today’s OwnIt campaign.
Karen is also a former engineer and a current (though non-practicing) attorney. She is a sought-after keynote speaker, having covered topics as varied as parenthood, social media, and women in leadership. She has been quoted in and has appeared on both local and national television shows and other news media, including CNN.com and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Karen is originally from Trinidad & Tobago, but currently lives in Houston, Texas with Marcus (her English husband), Alex (her American daughter), and Rufus the Wonderdog. She holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Texas A&M University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Houston.
Contact:
Web: www.chookooloonks.com
Melody is a fourth-generation Idaho girl and has been an artist from the time she could hold a crayon in her hand, knowing from the age of five that she wanted to grow up and combine beautiful colorful images with her love of words. At the age of 18, Melody began to sell painted works, and in 1997 at the age of 25, she started a worldwide product design and publishing business called Chatterbox. Through Chatterbox, she authored and published 15 books, manufactured and sold thousands of products that have become collectors items, and won countless awards for product innovation. Melody’s art, products, and books have been featured on television programs and in countless magazines. In 2009, Melody stepped away from Chatterbox to start Brave Girls Club, a worldwide organization that combines art with life skills to help women create the lives they want to live. Melody now licenses several product lines in arts and crafts, books, and home decor–including an extensive gift line with Demdaco and a new fabric line with Blend.
Charlotte Lyons designs and makes things in a variety of styles and media. Inspired by the humble simplicity of traditional art and craft, in addition to the inventive use of repurposed materials, Charlotte aims to mix an unfussy playfulness with the vintage charm of handmade keepsakes. Over the years, her work has been featured in her books (Mothers and Daughters at Home, Between Friends), books with Mary Engelbreit and Barbara Martin, and also in magazines such as Country Living, Victoria, Woman’s Day, Better Homes and Gardens and Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion. Currently, she designs for licensing and teaches workshops nationally. Born and educated in St. Louis, Charlotte raised three artistic daughters in a bright pink house in Chicago. Now she and her husband live in the lower Hudson River Valley of New York, happy to have their girls (and their guys) nearby.
Rebekah Teal has been an attorney for over 20 years. She has worked primarily in business, juvenile, and criminal law. In criminal court, Rebekah was appointed as an Assistant District Attorney, prosecuting felonies. Later she served as a Juvenile Court Judge, deciding abuse, neglect, and criminal cases. Today, in addition to general practice matters, she serves as Special Counsel to an Atlanta-based asset management firm focused on making investments in clean technology, energy, and natural resources. In 1993 Rebekah became a pioneer in the private probation industry when she co-founded and grew one of the first private probation companies in the U.S. Although she enjoyed being an entrepreneur, Rebekah ultimately sold her interest in the company, which continues to operate as one of the most successful companies of its kind in the state. Rebekah enjoys the non-profit world and has served on numerous non-profit boards, most dealing with child advocacy issues. She was honored to head the state-mandated Domestic Violence Task Force. She also served as chairperson of the Child Fatality Review Board. In addition to her law degree, Rebekah holds a Master’s of Theological Studies. Ten years ago, Rebekah became a mom. Much to her surprise and delight, motherhood has been her most fulfilling role. She is proud to say that she spoils her ten-year-old daughter rotten. In her free time, Rebekah enjoys hiking, cooking, gardening, running, and visiting her mountain farm. One day she hopes to have a big green tractor. 
Lizzy House is a lover of many things. Among these things are: sea salt, Mountain Valley Sparkling Water, farmers markets, traveling, sleeping, quilting, petting her cat Finn, giving people presents, tweeting, making things out of office supplies, Vince Guaraldi, Powells Books, the Legend of Zelda, ribbon, and cake. Not yet listed, but not to be forgotten, is her extreme love of printmaking, which led her to seek a Bachelor of Fine Arts on the subject.
Lisa McCue is one of today’s most sought-after illustrators. In the past 30 years, Lisa has illustrated more than 175 books for children, and has written and illustrated the bestselling Quiet Bunny books. In addition to Quiet Bunny, McCue has created many of today’s most recognizable children’s book characters, such as the world of Corduroy, Cork & Fuzz, and Fuzzytails. She has received numerous awards for her work, including many awards for Best Book of the Year, CCBC Choice Books, and the Junior Library Guild Premium Selection. Many of Lisa’s books have also been selected by the Society of Illustrators for the Original Art Show, featuring the best art in children’s books.
Tiffany Threadgould is a design junkie who gives scrap materials a second life. She’s the founder of 
Amy Barickman is the founder and owner of 
Kaari Meng has been designing vintage glass jewelry for more than 20 years. After moving to New York City in 1988, Kaari began exhibiting at trade shows and designing for specialty shops, including Anthropologie. Armed with experience in all facets of jewelry manufacturing, she began teaching jewelry making out of her shop, French General. In 2003, French General moved to Los Angeles, where it continues to offer workshops and creative kits to people who enjoy working with vintage materials.
Wendy Addison was born in Missouri and raised by artist parents. She studied fine art at an early age. In 1993, she opened her studio in an old garage and began creating what she called “objects for an imaginary life.” Made from old sheet music, tarnished tinsel, vintage crepe paper, Victorian scrap, and other flea market treasures, Addison’s work evoked some lost sense of magic from times past. Her signature look quickly evolved and found its way to fine stores across the country, such as Bergdorf Goodman and Tiffany. In 1997, Wendy moved to a tiny town north of San Francisco. Her shop “Theatre of Dreams” is open by chance or appointment, and she continues to create new and innovative paper objects. Her designs are licensed to Tinsel Trading Company in NYC and Midwest of Cannon Falls, and are sold in gift stores everywhere.
Nora Abousteit is the co-founder of 