Category Archives: The Hot Seat-Community Spotlight

by | September 26, 2012 · 3:41 pm

Full Circle with HRG

Gosh, sorry for being MIA all Summer. Things were really heating up at ARTdeezine HQ this Summer and now that the kids are back in school and things seem to be back to routine I am able to organize my thoughts and reflect…

HRG's Storefront Mock Up

HRG’s New Storefront Mockup with HRG Founder Sammy Hastings. Storefront scheduled to open this Fall in the Sunset.

Things have really come full circle for ARTdeezine. Where do I begin;  prior to Summer ARTdeezine took on a new (ongoing) project  managing the Marketing Department for one of our major clients, Hastings Realty Group (HRG). HRG is growing, and growing fast, and we are excited to be a part of such an innovative, young community-minded team.

Sammy Hastings is the founding broker at HRG and he is full of amazing ideas, which is what makes working with him so much fun. He is not your typical real estate broker, he is doing things out of the box. He is investing in his community in innovative ways  because he is so passionate about his community and knows that real estate is an avenue that can be used to bring value and substance what he is so passionate about.  I have noticed in the short time I have worked closely with him all these ideas we are brainstorming  are quickly followed by action, and action is what makes Mr. Hastings so amazing in my book. What starts as a conversation, leads to brainstorming and next thing you know those ideas are reality.

It was only a couple of months ago that Sammy mentioned he was thinking about opening a second location for HRG, the space that can be used as a hub, a presence for the community work we are involved in… And now I have the great pleasure of working on designing a storefront which will be opening this Fall in San Francisco’s Sunset District on Irving at 12th Street. The image above is a mock-up I created for the look of the exterior storefront. The storefront interior is currently being renovated. I cant wait to see what HRG’s partner co. Renovation and Design (R&D) will  come up with!

Renovation & Design Project Burlingame, CA

Renovation and Design Project Burlingame, CA

Another great idea that for the most part isn’t being done by any other real estate company around. HRG has partnered with Renovation and Design (R&D) to bring top value to homes all over the Bay Area.  Ordinary homes are being miraculously transformed into extraordinary, smart, spacious double and triple occupancy dwellings bringing modern-day comfort to homes in style while highlighting a homes character and maximizing the space to its fullest potential.  In a city where space is scarce and more expensive per square foot this is an extremely valuable art. Sandeep Sood, R&D founder says “It’s not how much you spend; its how  you spend that makes all the difference.” Sandeep is known for simple, yet elegant design style and is able to do amazing transformations on a budget.  He uses the ancient Indian science of Vāstu which is the source of Feng Shui, to organize space by creating harmony between the elements. And the results are absolutely breathtaking every time. Since I am creating the marketing collateral for all these homes when they go on the market this sure does make my job easier and so much fun. And to top it all off I get to attend wine and cheese open house events and check out the amazing work of R&D!

Bay Area Drop In Graphic

Bay Area Drop In hosts from left: Maria Fang, Sandeep Sood, Sammy Hastings, Angelica Santamaria

You can check out the amazing work of R&D too by tuning into Bay Area Drop In, a new TV show sponsored in part by HRG and hosted by Sammy Hastings, Sandeep Sood (design segment), Angelica Santamaria, and Maria Fang. Bay Area Drop In is a TV show that explores Real Estate, Lifestyle, and Design in the Bay Area. Each week the show visits a new Bay Area neighborhood. It airs on Saturday nights at 6:30 on Channel 26 (cable channel 8) and is shown again on Sunday nights at 7pm. The show is super informative and cute, you should check it out. The graphics are all done by yours truly! This TV show is a perfect example of what I mean when I say Sammy Hastings is all ACTION. The idea for the show literally started as a conversation topic at his kitchen table, and just a few months later the show is on the air. Absolutely amazing!!!

So it really feels like things have come full circle for ARTdeezine. Why, you ask? Well, I just realized that our very first blog post ever was over two years ago and it was highlighting the “New” HRG logo we created. We have come a long way with HRG and we hope to have a long and lasting working relationship for years to come!

Check out what ARTdeezine has been working on for HRG lately:
We just designed and launched HRG’s new website
Check out Bay Area Drop In’s Recent Episodes and Website
HRG’s Summer/Fall Newsletter

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by | March 14, 2012 · 2:14 pm

The Hot Seat-Featuring: Kiki’s Raw

Welcome to another Hot Seat Interview. The Hot Seat is our community spotlight! Are you a creative type? Want us to feature you? We’d love to learn about your creative business or hobby. Click here to get started!

We recently had the pleasure of working on logo design and branding as well as packaging  for new food business Kiki’s Raw. Kiki’s Raw is Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free, yummy food products handcrafted in San Francisco. You can now find Kiki’s Raw in the cold case at Rainbow Grocery, San Francisco. Kiki wanted her brand to communicate simple earthy elegance. Heres what we came up with…

Kiki's Raw Logo

Kiki's Raw Logo Design by ARTdeezine

In February Kiki rolled out her first 3 products: Almond Sun-Dried Tomato Pate′, Smoky Chipotle Chili, and Not Yo Cheez Sauce.  She has a whole line of new products she is currently working on that will also soon be available. And let me tell you, the perks of working closely with a client who is creating and testing recipes DAILY is awesome…especially when everything she creates is extremely healthy! I am learning so much about Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free food everyday thanks to Kiki. I wanted to share a little taste of what I’ve been learning so I  sat down with Kiki to chat about this new culinary journey she is embarking on…

Introducing Kiki of Kiki’s Raw

1. Tell us about yourself / background:
I have a few years of prepping in a kitchen as a young lass under my belt as well as a lifetime of hosting fabulous and nourishing backyard barbeques to formal dinners. As a licensed massage therapist/yoga practitioner for almost 3 decades, I have developed close ties to communities focused on health, wellness and nutrition. Combining the two talents has led me to create this business.

2. In a nutshell, tell us about your business, art or craft:
The target of Kiki’s Raw is to allow people ready access to fresh, raw/vegan, gluten-free food that’s fantastically delicious and ready to eat. What if we could celebrate and nourish our bodies and minds through clean, sustainable, simple, cruelty-free, raw/vegan, gluten-free food? We can when we share the abundance, aliveness and just plain deliciousness that raw food gifts us.

3. How long have you been in business or doing this?
We officially started February 6, 2012 with our first delivery to Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco!

4. Tell us a little about your process?
Kiki’s Raw Food uses exquisite ingredients that are organic and locally sourced, if possible, to produce food that is so elegant it doesn’t taste like it’s “good for you.” Our food is handcrafted in small batches with impeccable care. We soak all seeds and nuts so the enzyme inhibitors are removed and the seeds are awakened and bursting with energy. Flavors and textures are patiently developed through soaking, marinating and dehydrating and are never cooked or heated above 108 degrees F. In so doing, the food’s enzymes are maintained. This allows an ease of digestion and a greater assimilation of nutrients. In other words, your body has to work less to get more vitality.

5. Is it true that most of your products are Probiotic? There seems to be a growing interest in Probiotics, can you give those of us who are curious a brief explanation?
Yes it is true! Probiotics are bacteria that are usually found in fermented foods such as sauerkraut, yogurt, kombucha and kefir.  They are the “good” bacteria that are beneficial to colon health, nutrient absorption and digestion, and they boost the immune system.

6. What or who inspires your work?
My inspiration comes from all the people who contributed time…tasting my recipes, giving me valuable feedback and cheering me on before I launched. Kids inspire me…I love to see them enjoy real, live food!

7. What do you love most about your work/art?
The most gratifying thing about Kiki’s Raw is the possibility of change in peoples’ lives. Even a small change in your eating habits to a more plant-based diet can bring noticeable health benefits immediately…weight loss, shinier hair, clearer skin, more energy and a glow from within!

8. What tool(s) can you not live without?
Ah, the tools I cannot live without are my super-sharp chef’s knife, high-speed blender and silicone spatula!

9. What is your biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge we have right now is gaining more shelf space. We have many more products to roll out so are currently looking to expand to more stores, farmer’s markets and festivals. Oh, and always being two steps ahead of myself!!

10. Is there a question you wish we would ask?
What’s next?

What next Kiki? What I love about Kiki is that she is passionate about food and she is a risk taker who is ready to make a move! She is always experimenting and loves sharing her findings and therefore is an amazing teacher, coach, consultant… What’s next? You can check out Kiki’s upcoming workshop and get hands on experience with creating your own Raw, Vegan, GF recipes customized to your tastes. She will be conducting ongoing workshops so stay posted as we follow Kiki on her Culinary Journey!

Kiki's Raw products now available in the cold case at Rainbow Grocery, SF

KIKI’S UPCOMING WORKSHOP:

SPRING INTO NATURAL HEALTH: A hands-on workshop with Kiki!

Sunday March 18th, 3-6pm
Would you like to…have more energy, lose weight, detox your body and prevent disease? Then this 3 hour intro class may be what you’ve been looking for. This is a hands on class where you will learn to prepare super easy and delicious raw/vegan/gluten-free nut milks, various pates, zucchini alFREEdo, and chocolate pudding! We will feast on what we create and if we are lucky enough to have leftovers you may go home with something too!

Well-being through the power of food!
For more information and location contact Kiki: kiki@kikisraw.com
 
 

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by | May 28, 2011 · 2:35 pm

The Hot Seat – Featuring: Bodega del Sur Winery

Welcome to another Hot Seat Interview. The Hot Seat is our community spotlight! Are you a creative type? Want us to feature you? We’d love to learn about your creative business or hobby.

Click here to get started!

This week we feature Evelyn Reyes-Umana of Bodega del Sur Winery:

Bodega del Sur Winery offers wine with a Latin flair! The tasting room is located in the quaint town of Murphys California. The wine is excellent and the Bodega del Sur family is friendly and welcoming, providing a true experience to everyone who walks through their door! Evelyn is very active in her community and passionate about all she does. She donates a portion of the proceeds from the wine to local non-profits supporting women and children in need and hosts events in support of local art. Read the interview below to learn more about this amazing woman!

 

Tell us about yourself / background: I was born in San Salvador, El Salvador Central America. Came to the USA as a child , I have been in California most of my life. Got Married in the 70′s, I am a mother of two great guys Victor Manuel and Luis Edgardo…worked as Spanish teacher for 15 years before becoming a business owner.

Evelyn Reyes-Umana


In a nutshell, tell us about your business, art or craft: Bodega del Sur is owned and managed by my husband, Victor and I . We are focused on putting together the best possible team in order to provide a totally memorable experience. Our vision is quite simple. It is to make the Bodega del Sur experience a truly memorable one for our customers — through the quality of our wines and the professionalism of our staff.

The Bodega del Sur Family

How long have you been in business or doing this? If this is your business, is it a full-time gig? Do you have another job or hobby you’d like to share? We have been in Business for four years…this is our full-time job.

What or who inspires your work? This is my husband dream, it has been my nightmare…but after 33 years with the same guy, why not! He does not inspires me, the inspiration comes from all the wonderful people I meet.
 
 What is your biggest challenge? In this economy everything is a challenge, but life is good…with a passion and good attitude we move forward.

 
What do you love most about your work/art? Meeting wonderful people, that enjoy the wine.
  
What tool(s) can you not live without? We need great grapes!!! All the time…

Great wine starts with LOTS of sweet, juicy grapes!

Evelyn and her grapes!

Evelyn working the grapes

Can you tell us a little bit about the Carmesi Label? Carmesi is a Spanish word that literally means “crimson,

The First Carmesi Label

bright red, somewhat darkened with blue; purple”. Its use in naming our wine goes back to the imagination and dreams of a 10-year-old girl in El Salvador. To me it meant wonder, delight, fantastic mystery. It was a word I heard in music and read in poetry. It was a word I fell in love with. So, when the time came to name our new red wine, the “word” and a fantastic idea came to life.The word “Carmesi” not only described this mysteriously, romantic, red wine with just a hint of blue, it was a perfect word to use in honoring the memories of my mother and mother-in-law – two very important women in my life. Thus, the first vintage of Carmesi carried a composite image of these two women and was named for them – Maria Alicia. But why limit it to these two women? Why not honor all those strong women who have inspired and made an impression on all of us? Just as poets and song writers have been honoring noble women with their poems and music over the centuries, Bodega del Sur wants to honor them with their wine.The era I chose to depict on the labels is approximately 1900 to the 1930s; a time when women were asserting themselves and making their strengths known. As the blend changes, different women will adorn the Carmesi label.With our most recent vintage of Carmesi we have a new figure adorning our label. Her name is Amparo?

 

A Wine Label Honoring Strong Women

Who is Amparo and why is she on the label? With the huge success of our first bottling of Carmesi, my husband, Victor and I searched long and hard for an image of another Latin woman who would convey both strength and beauty. The search ended in a family album of a friend and neighbor. There she was – Amparo Ramos. She was 15 years old when the photo was taken in 1894 in Sonora, Mexico, but her inner confidence and strength was already apparent. She went on to marry and have children, but after that the trail is lost. It wasn’t until long after the figure of Amparo had been chosen that it became apparent how appropriate the choice really was. The Spanish name “Amparo” translates to “protection or shelter”. While showing strong women on a wine label fulfilled part of my dream, it did not satisfy my desire to help women – and children – in need. Prior to opening Bodega del Sur, I worked as a schoolteacher where I witnessed women and children in trouble. I did what I could then, but it was limited. Now I have a chance to provide direct assistance.

Portions of the sale of each bottle of Carmesi are donated to charitable organizations that assist needy women and their children. The Resource Connection has been chosen to receive the donations from the sale of this 2008 vintage of the Carmesi.


Bodega del Sur has accomplished so much in 4 short years and won so many awards, can you elaborate on some of your most proud moments or awards you’ve excepted? Yes, I have to agree with you in 4 short years we have accomplished a lot. For the most part the past four years have been difficult but good. But actually this May has been a really big month for us! Probably the most proud moment for me was on May 4th, 2011 when I excepted The Soroptimist Ruby Award; This award is given to women helping women, it honors women who have worked to improve the lives of women and girls through their professional and /or volunteer work.  I guess it was a big deal awarded to me for the help I give the  Woman’s Shelter. In May we also received an award from the Board of Supervisors from the City and County of San Francisco for the great example of how a united family can create excellent wine, manage a winemaking business, and contribute greatly to the Hispanic community with social work.  Also in May, we hosted the Latin American Arts and Cultural Festival, a huge accomplishment for me…it was a really great event!

Awarded by the Board of Supervisors from the City and County of San Francisco

San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Award, 2011

Bodega del Sur's Award Winning Wine

Thank you Evelyn for sharing with us!

You can visit Evelyn and the Bodega del Sur Family at their tasting room located at 457 Algiers St., Murphys, CA  95247.

To Learn more about Bodega del Sur visit: www.bodegadelsur.com

or: www.facebook.com/bodegadelsur

A peak inside the beautiful Bodega del Sur Tasting Room

Tasting Room Exterior

Thanks for reading, we will be back soon with another Hot Seat Interview!

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by | April 20, 2011 · 2:26 pm

The Hot Seat – Featuring: Brown Pigeon

Welcome to our very first Hot Seat Interview. The Hot Seat is our community spotlight! Are you a creative type? Want us to feature you? We’d love to learn about your creative business or hobby. Click here to get started!

This week we feature Meagan Lewis of Brown Pigeon:

Hand-Cut Paper Design

Brown Pigeon specializes in handmade rubber stamps, cards, books & printed matter. 

Tell us about yourself / background:My name is Meagan Lewis and I’m a native Californian who went to school in Utah, obtaining my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2006 at Weber St University. I have always been an artist/craftsperson of sorts, but when I started taking classes at Weber, Printmaking became my passion. For a few years after college, I played around with how I could make my passion my livelihood. I attended Women’s Initiative’s business program in the city and took graphic design classes at CSM. Somewhere in between, Brown Pigeon hatched.

In a nutshell, tell us about your business, art or craft:
Brown Pigeon started with a lot of handmade cards and hand-bound journals. I was selling little by little on Etsy and I also did 2 craft shows with Lighthouse. At the second craft show, people kept asking me how I got the images on my cards…they were made with my handmade stamps! A light bulb went off and I realized people were really interested in the stamps. Now my Etsy store is steadily growing with custom orders from small businesses wanting a stamp of their logo and brides-to-be needing something special for their save-the-dates and such. It’s really fun.

How long have you been in business or doing this? If this is your business, is it a full-time gig? Do you have another job or hobby you’d like to share?
I’ve been selling on Etsy for about 2 1/2 years now. I’m in my studio full-time about 3 days a week. I do have another job at a local restaurant. Serving at the restaurant is a nice thing to have on the side and get me out of the studio…otherwise I’d be hunched over carving stamps all day!

Tell us a little about your process?
Carving stamps is kind of like wood carving or linoleum cutting. I take large sheets of rubber and trim them down to size. To get the design onto the rubber, I actually trace the image and burnish that onto the surface so that I can see what I’m carving. Carving the stamp takes me anywhere from a half hour to 2 hours. My mom and husband say it looks painful, but for me it’s actually very meditative and enjoyable!

What or who inspires your work?
I would have to say other artists, artisans and craftspeople. I feel that there are just so many innovative products and inspiring artwork surrounding me in the Bay Area and on Etsy.com. I’m just in awe by some of the things I see at craft shows and on blogs…people are so creative and I love it!

What do you love most about your work/art?
I love to be able to create something that someone else can use to be creative themselves. I love to hear how people are going to use my stamps…for their business, their wedding, their son/daughter’s birthday invitations…It’s just great to know that my work will continue to have a life in another persons’ hands.

What tool(s) can you not live without?
My carving tools.

What is your biggest challenge?
Finding enough hours in the day.

Is there a question you wish we would ask?
No, thank you. This has been fun!

You can check out Brown Pigeon on Etsy.com at BrownPigeon.etsy.com. Also Brown Pigeon will  have a booth at the Vagabond Indie Craft Fair Saturday, April 30th, 11am to 5pm, click here for details.

-Cheers and we’ll be back next week with another Hot Seat Interview!

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by | February 8, 2011 · 5:20 pm

The Hot Seat

Introducing: The Hot Seat

The Hot Seat is our community spotlight featuring local businesses and artists of various mediums. Check out some recent interviews here.

Or better yet, would you like to have a seat on the “Hot Seat”? We would love to get to know you and your  creative business or craft! Fill out our short questionnaire today!

We’ll contact you with follow-up questions…

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