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.
Kaari is the author of several books, including French-Inspired Jewelry: Creating with Vintage Beads, Buttons & Baubles (Lark/Sterling, 2007) and Treasured Notions (Chronicle Books, 2010).
Kaari will be featured in the Autumn 2011 issue of WHERE WOMEN COOK and will be signing copies at the Autograph Party.
The mother-daughter design team of Debbie Murray and Shea Fragoso has been collaborating in creative ways for as long as both can remember. When Shea was growing up, Debbie taught stained glass classes in the community college system and owned a custom design business and fine art painting studio. When Shea finished school, they owned gift shops together in Southern California. Shea became a highly sought-after jewelry designer; her creations appeared in dozens of fashion magazines and graced the red carpet several times. Both women designed products for the gift industry and sold pieces to collectors around the world. In 2009, Debbie and Shea completed a major remodeling of a gothic church in Dallas, Texas. Here, they indulged in their love of crowns and European design and were constantly inspired by the architecture and the light.
Nora Abousteit is the co-founder of 
Nora will be featured in the Autumn 2011 issue of WHERE WOMEN CREATE and will be signing copies at the Autograph Party.
Leslie Shewring is a Canadian from Vancouver Island currently living in Los Angeles, California. She relocated to the U.S. to earn a degree in Architecture and Interior Design. Immediately after finishing school, Leslie had the opportunity to team up with a manufacturing and distributing company. Collaborating together, Leslie developed, designed, and handled packaging direction for many products sold in major retailers throughout North America. Although she loved her job, the deadlines, cross-country travel, and long trips to Asia did not fit with her ideal of family life. When Leslie had her first child four years ago, she stepped away. She still consults from time to time, but most of her days are spent with her two little kids, or in her home studio where she paints, collages, styles, and photographs. Leslie shares her creative projects on her blog A Creative Mint and she also authors a popular monthly column on the blog Decor8 called “Color Me Pretty.” Recently, Leslie has teamed up with Holly Becker to teach “Blogging Your Way,” a popular e-course that has been running twice a year. You may also find Leslie’s colorful work in Stampington’s Somerset Life, where she is a columnist.
Jinger began her creative journey in 2001 when she opened a retail store which immediately became a destination for people who shared her love for crafting. After hiring a talented design team, coming up with a line of great products and personally setting up production in the Orient, she created her own retail brand under the name of “Just Jinger.” It wasn’t long before her products gained popularity and the “Just Jinger” brand found a home in thousands of retail locations, including Michaels, Hobby Lobby, A.C. Moore and Wal-Mart. Since 2008, Jinger Adams has served as Creative Director and Spokesperson at Provo Craft. During this time, Jinger has been featured regularly as a vendor host on Home Shopping Network (HSN). As one of the top-rated vendor hosts on HSN, she has become the face of Cricut and an inspiration to millions of creative people in North American and abroad. She also appears on The Shopping Channel, in Canada, and Ideal World in the UK, and has been featured on Designing Spaces, The Lifetime Channel and many other national and local TV programs.
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.
Stacy Julian is a recognized leader in the scrapbooking industry and the visionary founder of Big Picture Classes (BPC). Launched in November 2005, BPC is the first online community offering creative e-learning with members around the world. Stacy is a passionate sought-after speaker and the author of four books including her most recent, Photo Freedom. Her television appearances include the Discovery Channel’s Home Matters and the PBS series Scrapbook Memories. Simple Scrapbooks Magazine (2002-2008), where Julian was the founding editor, has been mentioned in The Chicago Tribune andWoman’s Day as a leading consumer publication for the scrapbooking industry. Stacy has been a certified professional teacher with the Craft and Hobby Association since 1997 and lives with her husband Geoff, five energetic children, and a tank of somewhat neglected goldfish in Washington state.
Kelly is the author of 
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.
