While most 18 year old girls are busy chasing boys, hanging out at the mall and deciding what to do with their future, Ruthie Bram is hard at work becoming the next pop diva. A little pop, a little funk, a little rock, Ruthie has a sultry similarity to Gloria Estefan. Less

by: Debi Doson While most 18 year old girls are busy chasing boys, hanging out at the mall and deciding what to do with their future, Ruthie Bram is hard at work becoming the next pop diva. A little pop, a little funk, a little rock, Ruthie has a sultry similarity to Gloria Estefa Less

1. What is Macha Designs? Macha offers handmade wire-wrapping jewelry that is uniquely designed only using semi-precious stones, freshwater pearls, or Swarovski crystals, combined with 14k gold filled or sterling silver metals. 2. What does Macha mean, how did you come up with such an intriguing name? Macha means “green tea” in Japanese. When I needed a name for my new business, I looked around and noticed many emerging jewelry designers used their own names as business names. Well, I didn’t want to be like them because I thought it was dull and uncreative. But I did want to keep the business name personal and meaningful. Since I am a green tea addict who loves all things Japanese, Macha just made sense to me. Plus I love the way it sounds, so fun and spunky. 3. Take us from idea to creation in your jewelry pieces? Since I am a visual person, I usually like to make my new designs by first picking out the main stones I want in the new piece. For example, if I’ve made a lot of colorful pieces already, I may want to pick out something simple and universal, like a clear or black stone, to keep my collection balanced. Once my center piece is picked out, I’d stare at it, let my imagination go wild, and then ideas will just come naturally. 4. Are your pieces one-of-a-kind? Yes, every piece is one-of-a-kind and hand-made by me. 5. What are your thoughts on the “Celebrity Gift Bag” gifting idea? How do you feel about the latest publicist of Lindsay Lohan asking Indie designers to donate gifts to her girlfriends as favors? I think it is a great idea for any designer who wants to make it big. The kind of marketing you get from celebrities like Lindsay Lohan is worth millions. These donations are small, but smart investments. 6. What are your favorite materials to work with? I like working with colorful semi-precious stones, especially chalcedony. I love their half translucent and milky hues. 7. Tell us something about Tracy, who is she? I am an active person with many hobbies. By day, I keep it real and climb the corporate ladder like everybody else. By night, I make jewelries to keep my creative juices flowing. I am also a part-time singer on weekends, and I practice karate twice a week. I value variety and versatility, and I think you can see that through my designs. 8. Where can your jewelry be bought? I sell ready-made pieces at fashion events and festivals in Northern California. But customers can also place special orders by emailing me. Macha pieces are not available for purchase in stores or online. 9. Do you take personal to be made orders? Actually, everything I sell outside of events are made-to-order. I like keeping my customer base intimate and special. 10. What is your favorite search engine? Google. I am a loyal Google fan. Less

I am so honored and excited to be able to work alongside She Unlimited. I feel that it’s a perfect match for Doryn’s Dish and I know that together we will bring in a large audience of women from all over the globe who are looking for great information all in one place. In my short 29 years, there’s not a lot I haven’t done. I will be the first to admit I live a privileged lifestyle, but that doesn’t come with out appreciation and giving back to those in need. I am also a true believer that life is short and you should try everything once (well, almost everything). I grew up in a suburb of Massachusetts and lived in New York City for 8 ½ years. I have known my incredibly perfect husband Ty (I really mean that, he really is) for 7 years and have been married for 3 years. As a child, I traveled around much of the US, as a college student I backpacked through Eastern and Western Europe and as an adult I have been from Bora Bora to South Africa to Italy (I’ve traveled once a month since I’ve been in England). I have two college degrees and some graduate school work and have taken many others classes and received numerous certificates along the way. I have lived in 5 cities and have worked in high end residential design, interior design on television, commercial real estate, real estate staging, the hotel industry, make-up, magazines, fashion and social work. I have owned 2 bridal websites, a website for interior design advice, and a website for Expat parents. As of August 2005, I have been an expatriate living in London with my husband Ty as he opens a new office for his company for a couple of years. Some call me indecisive, I call it exactly what I always wanted to do. I never wanted to be defined by just one thing I do, and I always knew I wouldn’t be. I feel my experiences have shaped who I am today and I can relate on just about any level and that’s what makes Doryn’s Dish work. Leaving my job, business, friends and family in New York last year was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I knew I couldn’t just sit around doing nothing at first, so I immediately started Doryn’s Dish which has been my savior. If I truly love something, I am the best sales person there is. I came up with the idea of Doryn’s Dish because I realized people were constantly asking me advice on the latest ANYTHING, and I knew I needed to put it online to give as many people access as possible. That developed into daily reviews and recommendations, and now that advice is being shared all over the world and I’m loving it! Doryn’s Dish is different from other sites because there is something for everyone on a daily basis. I do not get paid by the companies I write about so you always know my reviews and my enthusiasm are 100% genuine. The other great part of Doryn’s Dish is that as you become a frequent reader, you learn my voice and you learn that my recommendations are almost always right on. People often tell me that they love my site because they feel like I am their best girlfriend and I am always upbeat (except when someone I review is not nice) and my writing is laid back (I just write like I speak) and not too cutesy or wordy like some other sites. I only write about things I’ve tried and only do positive reviews (unless it’s a hotel or restaurant that I think could use a little constructive criticism, because the whole experience is never 100%). One of the more exciting parts of Doryn’s Dish is the weekly “Guest Dishers” that write pieces in their respective categories: Carolyn Ballen – Holistic Health Coach – Nutrition Dish, Arden Rosenfeld – Personal Trainer – Fitness Dish, Toni Hargis – Author of the Book Rules Brittania – US/UK Dish, Soraiya Karas – Personal Organizer – Organizing Dish, Joy Kenney – Pregnancy Dish, Debbie G. – Baby/Toddler Dish, and soon we will have a young doctor to address women’s issues and a financial consultant. There are also my weekly dishes which cover all things New York City and London reviewing new stores, businesses and new restaurants, my Interior Design Dish where I give out tips and review new designs and businesses, my Beauty Dish where I review new spas, tips and techniques, my Web Dish where I will tell you about the latest and greatest new websites, the Make-Up Dish for tips and Product Dishes where I write and review new products each week! Then there are always the added extras that come up. Being such a “people person” can be difficult when doing a Blog because it requires a lot of time behind the computer with no one else around. It was being interviewed by She Unlimited that inspired me to start the Doryn’s Dish Podcast . I love interviewing and I love attacking (not literally) people on the streets and at press events to ask them questions about the latest trends. People often say to me, “Doryn, how is it that you know that person’s whole life story when you JUST met them!” You will see more of this weekly on She Unlimited and on Doryn’s Dish coming up in the next few months as well as expert podcast segments and more of my reviews weekly. I hope you enjoy Doryn’s Dish and I always appreciate an email (link to dorynsdish@yahoo.com) to say “hi”! www.sheunlimited.com Less