February/March 2012
Marvelous! celebrates its first anniversary with this issue, and what a celebration it is! We have grown significantly in our first year, learning along the way, as happens in every great adventure, and I think you’ll love the changes you see—new voices, new ideas, new layout.
As we reflected on the progress of our dreams here at Marvelous!, we wondered how Karry Bass and Molly Clark were coming along with their own adventures, stories we shared with you in our first issue. Where are they now?
Kelly Householder-Giuliano takes you on a girlfriend getaway at StoneCreek Ranch, a Women, Wine and Horses weekend that evolved naturally as Karry responded to and shaped the opportunities that came her way. She is so thrilled at the realization of her dream that she tears up talking about it.
Molly’s dream has evolved, too. The “grey dog vintage boutique” she opened in a restored Airstream trailer on a parking lot in Fayetteville now has company. We’ll tell you how she’s expanding.
Girlfriends Christy Keirn and Celia DeWoody share their voices in this issue, taking us on their own getaway to Silver Dollar City’s Culinary & Craft School with Janet Tabor and Susannah Alms. We’re on the lookout for more adventures like theirs. Send submissions to deb@marvmag.com.
On the last page, you’ll find another new voice. Heather R. Nelson is the first essayist in our new feature, Marvelous! Voices. Here you’ll find thoughts and wisdom from women we admire for their courage and heart. Thanks for getting us started, Heather!
On a lighter side, we’ll be asking for fun photos from you in every issue this year. Show Us Your M! ____ is an opportunity for you to share a part of your life with Marvelous! readers. In every issue, we’ll ask for a different kind of photo. You’ll see how some of our readers relax in our first installment. In the April/May issue, we want to see your charm bracelets. Have a little marvelous fun with us! Be creative! Send your high-res charm bracelet photo to deb@marvmag.com.
Also new this year is a makeover with our very own stylist, Jennifer Porter. Thanks to Paulette Hill of Mountain Home for volunteering to be our first candidate. She looks marvelous indeed! You’ll read her own thoughts on the process.
We’re thrilled to announce that Margie Roelands will be writing “simply sicilian” for Marvelous!, a new column featuring Italian food and wine, with all kinds of helpful tips. Welcome Margie!
And that’s not all.
Thanks to Big Creek Golf & Country Club for hosting the first Marvelous! Girls Outing on February 23 at 5:30 p.m. It’s a chance to relax for an hour at the end of the day, meet some new friends, enjoy a laugh, or find a shoulder to lean on. We hope to see you there. If you’re interested in hosting an outing, call Jennifer at 870-321-6711 or Lucinda at 870-421-2123.
Thanks to all of you for making our first year so successful. Here’s to many more!
Deb Peterson
M!
December 2011/January 2012
Happy Holidays from all of us at Marvelous!
May your holidays be filled with family and friends, good health, peace, laughter and, especially, love.
And may your New Year be marvelous in every way!
M!
October/November 2011
Marvelous! is about creating the life you want, and in this issue, creativity abounds.
Kathryn Miles is likely to surprise you. When she couldn’t find a house plan she liked, she bought her own CAD software and designed one herself. She then supervised the building process every step of the way to ensure her dream unfolded exactly as she envisioned it.
It’s not always easy to tell “the experts” how you want something done, but Kathryn prevailed, and today Milestone is a dream come true.
From the artful building of a home, we take you to the creation of a building for art. On 11/11/11, a very cool date, Alice Walton’s Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opens in Bentonville. We got a sneak peak, and interviewed six marvelous women who are making Alice’s dream come true for all Americans.
What does art mean to you? Plan a trip to Crystal Bridges and prepare to be changed.
Diane Burton helped me tell a story I have been wanting to write ever since I met Dr. Derrick Johnson well over a year ago. He builds smiles. That’s right, smiles.
When our teeth are beautiful and white, and our mouths are healthy, the increased confidence bestowed upon us is remarkable.
You’ll see Diane’s new smile in the story following hers, too. She modeled a little black dress for our new fashion column, Look M!, written by Lance Cheramie, an instructor in the Apparel Studies program at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and his wife, Elizabeth.
I’m really excited about this new addition to M! In their first column, the Cheramies take us through the history of the famous LBD, first introduced as fashion by Gabrielle Chanel, better known as Coco, and help women know which style might suit them best.
Thanks to my sister, Diane, for finding Moon River sheet music for images of Audrey Hepburn in her famous LBD!
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. We’re celebrating with a look at how the beautiful Catherine Sawyer of Mountain Home handled the loss of her hair.
We solicited photos from readers, but found only two women, in addition to Catherine, willing to share their photos. You’ll find them on page 25. You’re beautiful, Katy and Jan!
I continue to hear fun stories connected to Marvelous! I heard that Pat Brubaker loves Bella’s Table so much she had a Bella dinner party for friends and served all Bella dishes. Great idea!
Lucinda Blair told me about a man who stopped at Riverview Emporium in Norfork on a cream colored motorcycle. When Don Blair complimented the man on the color, the biker said he saw the color on a woman’s bike at a recent rally. He liked it so much he had his own bike repainted. Don showed him the August/Septemer issue of Marvelous!
“That’s her!” the man exclaimed about our covergirl Carrie Bristoll-Groll on her Indian Scout.
I heard from Carrie on Facebook that Mark Murphy from Hope, Arkansas contacted her to report that he is the guy. He rides a 2003 Harley Davidson Dyna. Carrie says the Miami Cream on her bike, and Mark’s bike, is an original color from a 1949 Ford.
That’s a fun story!
As the holidays near, please shop with our Marvelous! advertisers, and be sure to consider a Marvelous! bling tee and a subscription for the girlfriends on your list.
Coming soon! A online shop at marvmag.com. We’ll see you there!
Deb Peterson
M!
August/September 2011
We were thrilled to have an intern at Marvelous! this summer—Harley White of Mountain Home, a sophomore at Hendrix College. Not only did she research and write her own seven-page feature story on women from all over the country who ride motorcycles in the Ozarks, she took many of the photographs and did her own layout, too. It’s fresh and fun, and I hope it inspires you to get out and take a ride on anything that puts a smile on your face.
I once had my own yellow Suzuki 650SV, and I’m tempted to take up riding once again. Tim has fallen in love with the beautiful lines of Indian motorcycles, but I’m thinking a trike like the one Deloris Smith rides may be more my speed at this point in my life. We’ll see.
I was also very excited to work with photographer John Blair on a story about Debbie Love’s marvelous cowboy boot collection. I can tell you I definitely need a closet organizer after touring her fantastic closet.
Carlos Hernandez photographed the amazing J.D. and Cathy Harris home outside Eureka Springs for this issue. And we continue to feature the art of local photographers with a photo from Kathy Mayhue of Springdale that is sure to cool you off during this beastly hot weather.
Also new this month—the redesign of marvmag.com, thanks to Logan Sheehan. I was referred to Logan by my good friend, Sharon Meyer. He was one of her students and she was impressed with the website he created for his company, fitoverfat.com. Logan doesn’t build websites as a business, but most generously got me started and answered myriad questions. Thank you, Logan!
At marvmag.com, you’ll find the content from all published issues, photo galleries, subscription and distribution information, advertising opportunities, and, eventually, a Marvelous! store where you can use PayPal to buy the items you see described below.
I hope you’ll also look for us on Facebook at facebook.com/MarvelousMagazine.
Create the life you want, and live it passionately.
Deb Peterson
M!
June/July 2011
Marvelous! continues to evolve, and the process is sometimes thrilling and other times, well, less so. But the good thing about challenges is that they help us see the world through others’ eyes, if we’re willing to look, and they offer an opportunity to grow, to become more marvelous.
On page 18, we take a hard look at the way women are portrayed in the media. You’ll read about 17 women who gathered to discuss the matter and left feeling understood and supported. It was a marvelous experience we hope to continue, and ideas for discussion topics are invited. Send your ideas to deb@marvmag.com.
Our main features this month introduce you to two women who coexist with nature in different ways. Lucinda Reynolds is fascinated with the natural balance in her gardens, and has learned to make gardening choices that support the intricate ways in which everything is connected. You’ll see your own gardens in a new way after reading about Lucinda.
Beci Coffey lives immersed in nature in a different way. She and husband Kent built a fairytale home deep in the woods near the Buffalo National Forest. I’m quite sure I saw a Hobbit out of the corner of my eye when visiting her. Beci shares her magical home, and her wisdom, with us. She also played a little music for retired Fox photojournalist Carlos Hernandez and me. Marvelous indeed.
We have another nature surprise for you in this issue—a closeup look inside the nest of an eagle family, courtesy of Jim Gaston.
Our health story might also be considered a nature story. “When nature calls,” some women don’t make it to the bathroom in time. Corinne Hiser and Phyllis Saunders tackle another tough topic: urinary incontinence. It plagues more women than you can guess. Because it’s something we don’t talk about, some of us don’t realize there are medical solutions. If you wee in your pants when you laugh or cough, be sure to mention it at your next appointment. Phyllis can tell you you’ll be glad you did.
With this issue, M! welcomes the help of two women—Lucinda Blair in sales and Harley White as summer intern. Lucinda is well-known in the Twin Lakes Area. If you haven’t heard from her and have a need to reach marvelous women in our marketplace, give Lucinda a call at 870-421-2123.
Harley will be writing a story for the August/September issue about women who ride motorcycles. I have a feeling she has a fun summer ahead of her.
Welcome Lucinda and Harley! It’s good to have you on the M! team.
I love hearing from you, and am looking for ways to make M! more interactive. Would you like to know what area book clubs are reading? If you belong to a club, send me your club’s name and the titles you’re reading.
Would you like to see photos submitted by readers? If you have a favorite motorcycle, or a great pair of boots, or an outdoor kitchen, send a high-res photo to deb@marvmag.com. If we get enough, we’ll publish them.
I’m working on a new, improved website. We’ll have room there to post extras.
I’d like to close with a comment I received from my dear friend Amber Pangle, a beautiful woman in her 80s. She told me she sat down and read the first issue of Marvelous! cover to cover, and then thought, “I wonder what I should do next.”
You, Amber, are a marvelous woman.
Deb Peterson
M!
April/May 2011
Some things are easier than others to procrastinate about. I’m terrible about updating my own skin care and makeup, for example. I tend to find a product or technique I like and stubbornly stick to it. Maybe I’m just lazy. You’ll see me in the same makeup whether I’m working in the garden or going to a party.
Caring for my feet is even worse. I do polish my toenails in time for sandal weather, but I never splurge on a pedicure.
All that is about to change because of this issue of Marvelous!
I’ve got an appointment with Lisa Chism to learn new makeup application techniques after writing her story, and there’s a date with DJ on my calendar for a complete pedicure with a paraffin treatment.
Whether or not we consider it splurging, it is good hygiene.
Most importantly, after editing Corinne Hiser’s column this month, I have an appointment with a dermatologist for a full body check for skin cancer. May is Melanoma Month. Do you know what melanoma looks like? Corinne’s story may change, or save, your life.
If procrastination has affected your lingerie drawer, you’re in luck. Wait until you see the pretty things I found in Eureka Springs.
Sadly, one thing I never procrastinate about is eating. It’s nothing to brag about. Tim is the cook in our house, and his sister has said that one of the reasons he loves me is that I’m such an enthusiastic eater.
New in Marvelous! this month is a column from Estella Tullgren, another foodie with some delectable recipes to share with you. I’m really excited about this addition to the magazine, and I hope you are too.
Also new, thanks to encouragement from Christy Keirn (“You have to do this!” she said), are Marvelous! Society pages, this month featuring photos from the Governor’s Ball, Ama la Vita, and the Twin Lakes Bridal Expo, and Marvelous! Weddings, a place for brides to publish full-color, glossy bridal or wedding photos.
Keep the photos coming in. Send high-resolution society photos to deb@marvmag.com and be sure to include the name of the event and the names of those pictured.
Send wedding photos to deb@marvmag.com. Include one 3×5 high-resolution photo, the bride’s maiden name, groom’s name, date and place of wedding, and photographer credit. Deadlines are May 1, July 1, Sept. 1, Nov. 1, Jan. 1, and March 1. The introductory cost is $100.
Just like everything in life, Marvelous! is evolving and will continue to do so. It’s what living marvelously is all about—listening to ideas, trying new things, inspiring each other, adjusting our course when something doesn’t meet expectations. The path from A to B is rarely a straight line, and thank goodness!
Who knows that better than our mothers?
We pay tribute this issue to a few unusual mothers, starting with the buffalo shown on the next page courtesy of Jack and Martha Gregory of Gassville. Jack says we can start watching the pasture on Hwy. 62 for newborns in May—just in time for Mother’s Day.
I love hearing from you. Keep your suggestions of marvelous women coming, and join the conversation on Facebook. You’ll find us at facebook.com/MarvelousMagazine. Or send feedback and ideas to deb@marvmag.com or to P.O. Box 130, Cotter, AR 72626.
Remember that subscriptions are available for $16/year for six issues. Send to the above address.
Make it a marvelous spring!
Deb Peterson
M!
February/March 2011
Those of you who know me can probably guess I had to be convinced to put myself on the cover of this first issue of Marvelous! The argument was that the magazine’s mission is to inspire women to indulge their passion for life, to continue to engage in marvelous endeavors, no matter their age.
“You are an example of exactly what you want to inspire other women to do,” said Tim Malaney, my partner.
He’s right. I left a job I had to create the job I wanted. I chose to be marvelous.
This magazine is for you and your marvelous daughters, mothers, sisters, and friends. I hope the stories you read here, about women who listen to the call of their heart, will inspire you to have the courage to be who you want to be, to do the things you’ve always wanted to do, to choose to be marvelous!
Can it be scary? Sure, but we can do it. In this issue, you’ll meet women in their 30s, 40s, 50s, even 70s, who are starting new businesses, remaking existing ones, or keeping passion alive in longterm pursuits.
You’ll find a column in each bi-monthly issue from Corinne Hiser, advanced nurse practitioner and beloved champion of women’s health. She exudes passion.
Like the women you meet here, Marvelous! will evolve as it grows. Talk to me. Tell me what you want to see in these pages. Introduce me to the marvelous women you know whose stories wait to be told. Email me at deb@marvmag.com or find me on Facebook at MarvelousMagazine.
A big thank you to the effervescent Kim Singer of Fort Smith (Cotter part time!) who photographed the lovely Molly Clark. Thanks also to Dr. Lily Chung, a longtime author friend of mine who writes a yearly prediction for the Chinese new year, and to up-and-coming fiction writer and editor of Deitra Mag, Tamara Styer Repo, for her help letting advertisers know about this new opportunity to reach marvelous women.
Marketing to women is the No. 1 economic opportunity in America according to marketing expert and author Marti Barletta. Women are the chief purchasing officers in almost all households and are estimated to control 80% of all buying decisions. Women are the she-conomy.
They’re also reading more magazines than ever before. Women’s magazines increased readership by 13.3% in the last decade.
It’s time we had our own women’s magazine in Arkansas. This is where you’ll find the marvelous women who represent the she-conomy of Arkansas. Be sure to check out the Marvelous! Marketplace on page 30.
Find your free copy of Marvelous! in salons, boutiques, women’s health centers, and everywhere marvelous women are found. Help me spread the word by suggesting your own favorite distribution spots. And if you don’t want to go in search of Marvelous!, we’ll mail it to your door. Send $16 for six bi-monthly issues to P.O. Box 130, Cotter, AR 72626.
Choose to be marvelous! It’s up to you.
Deb Peterson
M!