On the Cover
By Stephanie Lynn, age 26, Massachusetts
SDM Editor-in-Chief
Welcome to a brand new year, and to the December-January issue of Sweet Designs Magazine, with 32 new articles and features! Starting with the February issue, we'll be endeavoring to post each monthly issue near to the start of each month - one resolution I intend to keep!Our covers* spotlight Molly from Illinois, who operates Rags by Sock Monkey. Molly cuts, sews, and weaves everything from scarves to t-shirts to rugs using only recycled materials she's gathered from closets, rummage sales, consignment, and thrift stores. A 25 year old with a Bachelor's in Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota, Molly is firmly committed to creating eco-friendly wearable art, that is, up-cycled fashion accessories. And she has a couple valuable business tips she has learned from her experiences to share with us.
* I designed two covers, one for December and one for January, because both of Molly's cover photos were so awesome!
Be sure to check out some of our best features, including Kate's (PA) humorous "A Typical Day in My Life" and Jayzle-May's recounting of her struggles with the psychologically rooted skin condition "Dermatillomania." You may have a friend dealing with this disorder and the info is good to know.
I especially want to welcome back a couple favorite faces. Emily (CA, formerly Newfoundland), our 4-Star SDM Featured Writer, has gone through just about everything a girl can go through, and has finally found her way out of the proverbial "rabbit hole." If you've read her past adventures and struggles, you will want to find out the here's-how, in "Growing Pains."
Also highly recommended is part 1 of the "So You Want to Be a Writer" series titled "Top Three Myths about the Writing Life," by our good friend Sandhya (SC). Very informative and well penned - with more to come. I also really enjoyed Diana's (Romania) "Pray the Teachers Back to Hell".
Two more worthy-of-special-mentions: Even though it's past the holiday, don't pass on Rachel's "Christmas Magic." It's a real-life old-fashioned Christmas wrapped in a wonderfully hand-crafted gift box - a must-read. This may also be said of Kelly's (UK) "Single at Christmas." If you were single and at points a bit bummed about it this Christmas, you gotta read her account - to prepare for next year, of course!
All this, plus a "Quick Winter [fashion] Update" from Jasmin, an fresh look at "Body Image" from Michelle (PA), an interview with rising dancer Stephen Jesse, and the word for the day - "Life is Short - Enjoy It!" Plus, Kendyl (TN) with some really useful tips on "Mastering the Scholarship: Tips on How to Get College Cash," and Julia (NY) recounts the last day of her year.
Happy New Year, Sweet Designs readers and writers!