Meet the Editors of Prime Publishing

Ashley Kolpak

Hi, I'm Ashley and I'm from Buffalo Grove, Illinois, a most lovely suburb of Chicago. I was raised in an extremely crafty household (thanks, Mom!) and when I was younger, I wanted to be a calligrapher when I grew up. I also wanted to be famous actress. Go figure! My true passion, which brings me to Prime, is writing. Short stories, journaling, interviewing, blogging; I love it all.

I graduated in 2009 from the University of Illinois, majoring in Media Studies and minoring in French. Down at U of I, I wrote for the music section of buzz, a local arts and entertainment paper. Since then, I've been a little here, there and everywhere, writing and blogging along the way. My last big adventure took me to Grenoble, France where I lived, taught and blogged my travels for 7 incredible months. I am thrilled to be starting a new adventure and to be working with such a fantastic team here at Prime Publishing!

A little more about me...I am a dedicated Francophile who can't resist a great pastry and a bottle of red wine, an avid reader, a music lover who will listen to just about anything, an aspiring foodie and an all-around creative girl who is incredibly addicted to Pinterest.

Blair Chavis

My name is Blair and I am originally from Highland Park, a northern suburb of Chicago not too far from Prime Publishing's home base in Northbrook, IL. Since childhood, I have loved crafting of all sorts, including drawing, painting, creating decorative crafts, sewing and making scrapbooks. As a child, my mom entered me in the children's craft section of the local art festival and I was in all my craft glory. As an adult, much of that fondness for crafting has manifested into foodie-ism. I am one of those nerdy restaurant-goers that takes pictures of my food when the dish looks spectacular. I also need photographic evidence when I bake.

Most recently, I worked as a reporter at the Chicago Tribune’s Triblocal.com, a suburban subsidiary focused on hyper-local community news and making the Web hip for newspapers. I reported on happenings in the northern suburbs of Chicago.

At 18, I stepped onto the hippie-filled sidewalks of Madison, WI, to later graduate from the University of Wisconsin in 2006 with a double degree in journalism and English. Before working for the Tribune Company, I tried my hand at broadcast journalism, first at an NBC affiliate in Madison and then moved back to Chicago to join forces with Chicago Public Radio. I have covered a broad range of stories about local and national politics, immigration, housing, the environment, health care, education and the arts. I still do freelance work for various news outlets.

When I'm not working, I blog for OyChicago.com, I enjoy watching foreign and independent films and eating dessert first. I also have a weakness for Hugh Grant movies and all things Food Network.

Bridget Herbig

Hi there! My name is Bridget. I grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago, currently live in the west suburbs, and work in the north suburbs. On occasion I actually venture into the main city. Now all I have to do is learn about boating and I can explore Lake Michigan! I love traveling and motorcycling with my husband whenever possible. Give me the woods and nature and I’m a happy gal.

Northern Illinois University is where I graduated from with a degree in English. It was a heavy reading period for sure, but I’ve always been a bookworm so I soaked in as much as I could. After graduating, I held a couple of editing jobs. My previous job was at a book publishing company. When I’m old and gray, I can tell my grandkids all about how books were made many eons ago.

When I’m not busy working at Prime, I am usually reading, crafting, or baking. I started making things when I was kid. My mother supplied the early inspiration for my crafty side with her sewing and cross stitching talents. I learned what I could from her and then developed my own interests in embroidery, knitting, and sewing. After joining Prime, I decided to add crochet to my list of things to learn.

Baking is easier for me to do than cooking. There’s something very relaxing and rewarding about mixing together ingredients and getting something sweet in return. Nothing beats how happy you can make others with just a simple batch of brownies. If I could’ve been born in the 1940s or 50s, I think I would’ve made one awesome June Cleaver-ish housewife. I love puttering through resale shops looking for antiques and anything reminiscent of eras gone by. My favorite finds are usually kitschy decor, sewing materials, or kitchen accessories.

Caitlin (Kavanaugh) Eaton

My name is Caitlin and I’m from Kenosha, Wis. I’ve tried to escape several times, but that’s another story. When I‘m not frequenting record stores in Chicago, I love to absorb the culture in coffee shops while my veins absorb some caffeine. I graduated from Marquette University with a degree in journalism and am grateful for the wonderful professors that helped me hone my writing skills.

Writing is, and always will be, a passion of mine. In college, I was the Senior Feature reporter with my school’s magazine The Marquette Journal, and I also spent a year interning at Wisconsin Trails magazine, a publication devoted to the culture and history of Wisconsin. Both are quality publications and yes this is a shameless plug.

Narrowing down my interests is near impossible, but I do have a soft spot for any craft projects or clothing that are vintage or vintage inspired. To me, nothing is more beautiful than an object that was able to stand the test of time, like my grandmother’s pearl brooch, a black-and- white photograph or a Twinkie - well, perhaps not the latter, but you get the idea.  I also thrive on traveling and visit England frequently to visit my husband's family. I’ve become nearly fluent in English slang, so if you ever need to know what it means to be shattered, what bangers and mash really are, or how many quid it takes to buy a pair of new Wellies, feel free to ask.

I’m incredibly excited to be a part of such a great team of devoted editors here at Prime. As the editor of AllFreeKnitting, I hope I meet your expectations and continue to provide you with fun and quality content!

Christine Weiher

Hey it’s Christine, the crochet-a-holic (as of 2009). If you haven't guessed, yes, I like to crochet as I'm the editor who works on AllFreeCrochet.

On a personal note, I met my husband in 2003 and we're now parents of a baby girl who we love more than anything. I never knew love like this until she came into the world. In becoming a mom, I just can't stop crocheting baby items. I'm officially addicted. Is there a rehab for that?

I studied Journalism at Eastern Illinois University with a minor in Sociology. There I worked for the school newspaper as well as the magazine. From there I came here, to Prime. I currently work on AllFreeCrochet (as previously mentioned of course) which is where I find all my baby crochet patterns!

Before I started here I didn’t do much in the crafting world. I used to scrapbook in my high school years, but that was the extent of it. Now that I’ve been here for a while, I’ve crocheted scarves, afghans, amigurumi animals, flowers, headbands, leggings, ear warmers, cowls and hats. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things. I’m learning new things every day while working here and I’ve come to realize that Michaels and Hobby Lobby are my two new favorite stores.

Fun facts in a nutshell: I have a terrible sweet tooth and I can't live without cookies, I love tropical vacations with palm trees, yet I'm petrified of flying, I have a shiba-husky dog who drives me insane (I'm pretty sure he's smarter than I am, yet he's scared of fans), and I love to crochet. Did I mention I love to crochet?

Emily Racette

Hey guys. My name is Emily and I am a recent graduate of Bradley University, where I studied history. When I wasn’t writing about Woodstock or narcocorridos (Mexican drug ballads) for my history classes, I was playing drums in the concert band and jazz ensemble. I was also involved in the planning of BU’s Relay for Life for four years. During my senior year, I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in Paris for two weeks where I took a travel writing class. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Sightseeing, journaling, eating – that was the life.

One of my favorite things about Paris was the food. Croissants, crepes, duck confit, oh my! Everything was delicious. They take food seriously, and it shows. It’s too bad I didn’t like wine back then... I think I discovered my love for all things food around high school. I love to cook, but baking is my true passion. I’m so happy to work in an office where I can bring in my treats so I don’t eat them all myself! And that brings me to Prime.  I love being the editor of AllFreeCasseroleRecipes. Working with food all day every day is my dream job. I toyed with the idea of going to culinary school a few years ago, but decided to work with food in a different way. So, now it’s all casseroles all the time. I love going home and trying the recipes I’ve been staring at all day. Besides casseroles, I love making chocolate crack, cheesecake, and truffles.

When I’m not working or cooking, I enjoy running, reading, and browsing Pinterest. I’m obsessed with animals, and often check out the San Diego Zoo’s Panda Cam to see what their pandas are up to. If I didn’t work with food, I would definitely work with animals.

Jenny Benoit

Hi, I’m Jenny. I was born and raised in Wilmette, a suburb just north of Chicago. I graduated from Missouri’s School of Journalism with a Bachelor’s degree in Magazine Design and a minor in Textile & Apparel Management; I’m happy to finally be out of Cardinals territory and back in the Windy City! While at Mizzou, I worked as a contributing student writer for the Columbia Missourian daily newspaper and Vox Magazine.

Before joining the team of editors at Prime Publishing, I spent four years working in the veterinary field as a receptionist, while simultaneously freelance writing for an online shopping community to satisfy my need to write (and to shop!). Although it was a joy spending my days playing with animals, it is incredibly rewarding to finally spend my days writing.

Despite growing up just outside of Chicago, there’s a lot I don’t know about this great city of ours. I love discovering new restaurants, finding the latest and greatest fashion deals, and taking in live music wherever I can find it. I tend to also get lost in bookstores for hours on end (don’t even get me started on the recent closing of Borders); magazines have, and always will be, my literature of choice. I’m in heaven when the latest issue of Real Simple arrives in my mailbox!

Aside from the white scarf I knitted during high school and the occasional dinners I attempt to make here and there, I still remain a bit of a newbie to the crafting and food communities. I am excited to join the team at Prime Publishing, and I can’t wait to learn a thing or two about crafting and cooking!

Jessica Thelander

Hi, my name is Jessica (the third one on staff, in fact). I am a recent English graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and currently reside in the suburbs of Chicago. I’m thrilled to have joined Prime Publishing to put my freshly printed degree to work!

I spent a large portion of my time in college playing piccolo in the Marching Illini. (And no, I don’t have any band camp stories.) No matter how many times I had to play the piccolo soli in John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever,” it will certainly go down as one of the absolute best parts of my college experience.

Aside from the marching band, I’ve kept pretty busy over the past few years, splitting my time between finishing my degree, rediscovering my love of literature, and studying abroad in Wales. When I was abroad, I was fortunate enough to travel on the cheap to France, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Scotland, England, and the Netherlands. After many coffees and even more photos, I came out the other side a somewhat well-seasoned traveler.

After years of frozen pizzas and Ramen noodles, I’m tentatively stepping into the world of cooking with mixed results. As long as I can become a functioning adult in the kitchen, I’ll be fully satisfied. In the meantime, I’m perfectly happy curling up with a good book, ordering a pizza, and looking at all of the pretty pictures on our sites instead.

Julia Litz

Hello, my name is Julia and I am from St. Louis, although I recently moved to the Chicago suburbs. Despite my location change, I still love my St. Louis Cardinals and Rams, much to the chagrin of my friends and neighbors.

I recently graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (go Illini!) with a degree in Advertising and a minor in English.  During those four years, I was an active member of my sorority, dabbled in a variety of random activities and found my home at The Daily Illini.  I started as a copy editor at The DI and worked my way up to Copy Chief. Last year, we were even named the top student newspaper in the state by the Illinois Collegiate Press Association!   Despite the ridiculous hours (5 p.m. to about midnight three nights a week, 2 p.m. to about midnight on Sundays and 5 p.m. to 7:30 on Thursdays), it was a great experience and taught me a lot about time management, organization and the value of black coffee.

I love to travel, especially overseas.  Some of my favorite trips have been to Italy, Greece and Israel.  I would love to go to Africa and see elephants (my favorite animal) in their natural habitat.  When I'm not on the go, I love just sitting on my couch and watching reality shows on Bravo for hours at a time.

Julie Sammarco

Hi, I’m Julie. I’m a city girl – born and raised - from Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood. For those who don’t know, Little Italy in Chicago is tiny, so in a lot of ways, I feel like I grew up in a small town. And when you come from tightly knit friends and family, as many of us know and know well, there’s a lot of food and classic recipes. And I ate it all. No food allergies, no fears. I know my food … and I love to eat it. But maybe that’s just the Italian side of me.

I graduated from DePaul University in 2010 with a master’s degree in Journalism. While I was still in school, I started working as an editor at a magazine publishing house on the glorious Magnificent Mile. As fancy and romantic as the city was, it wasn’t exactly what I wanted to be writing about. I mean, how many times can a gal write about an electric hand drill? C’mon.

So I found myself here at Prime Publishing, writing about one of my favorite passions – eating healthy food. I’m a big believer in taking care of your mind and body for feeling great all around and leading a happy life. But maybe that’s just the dancer side of me. For the better half of my life, I’ve been a dancer. I still teach Latin dance classes in Chicago’s West Loop and love that I can do that part-time.

So, as you might imagine, I have small obsessions for So You Think You Can Dance, Giada DeLaurentis, and ice cream. Maybe that last one isn’t so obvious … but it’s so true.

Kelly Spence

After nearly two years of editing police and public safety magazines, working with craft and food content is more than a little refreshing. As I've always been artistically inclined--and hungry--I knew right away that Prime Publishing was the place for me. Though my former position did afford me a variety of interesting experiences, including but not limited to shooting a sniper rifle and driving a police-package Dodge Charger at 120mph down a rural Indiana highway, I somehow found that writing about holsters and rifle lights wasn't exactly my forte. Shocking, I know.

Before my days of correcting the grammar of America's finest, I attended the University of Illinois where I studied English and Creative Writing. When I wasn't stressing over papers and drowning in chapters of Austen, I enjoyed exploring the wealth of quirky vintage and thrift shops in downtown Champaign and visiting the art theater, which I sadly discovered too late in my college career. Fortunately for my thrifting and movie-going obsessions, I recently moved from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, where I grew up, to the fair city of Chicago proper, where vintage shops abound and all the best indie flicks are within walking distance.

If I'm not scouring the shelves of Goodwill, I can probably be found snuggling my cats to within an inch of their lives, dancing unabashedly at one of Chicago's small music venues (I am positively addicted to live music), or pouring glitter all over everything. I've always enjoyed crafting, especially jewelry-making, and would love to start my own line some day. I am also an avid doodler and dream of writing and illustrating children's literature. Gyo Fujikawa's “Oh, What a Busy Day!” is my absolute favorite. Though I've never been much of a cook (I ate a lot of SpaghettiOs in college), I'm hoping my time at Prime will spark some culinary inspiration!

Kirsten Kwon

My name is Kirsten and I'm a recent graduate of The University of Kansas. Rock Chalk to all my fellow Jayhawks! While in Lawrence, I studied journalism and received my degree with an emphasis in news and information.  To clarify,  no, I don't know anyone named Dorothy.

In college I worked on The University Daily Kansan newspaper as a correspondent, general assignment reporter and student life reporter. I love keeping up with global news and hope to one day travel around the world - or at least to Australia.

I'm currently living in Chicago (the city that will forever be number one in my heart) and I love meeting new people, eating at new restaurants and seeing live music.   Beyond that, my time is spent hanging out with friends, reading magazines like Spin and Nylon and adding to my constantly growing music library.

While I'm relatively new to the crafting world, I'm confident that as I spend my days finding great projects to add to our sites I'll eventually become a crafter myself. I'm excited to be working with a fun group of editors and hope I continue to produce content you'll want to read! 

Maggie Kmiecik

My name is Maggie and I was born and raised in the great city of Chicago, where I still currently reside. For years, I worked and now live in Andersonville, where I spend most of my time browsing boutiques, loitering in cafes, and trying new menu items. Because I drive quite a distance to work everyday, I try to bike everywhere else and I love being in a neighborhood where I can walk everywhere.

I'm a (fairly) recent graduate from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where I majored in English Literature and minored in French. During my time there I was lucky enough to study abroad in the south of France, an experience that just reinforced a love of everything French in me. My life goal is to end up living by the Mediterranean. Professionally, I've done a lot of freelance work writing for various websites and blogs. I most enjoy writing about fashion, design, and shopping, as I have a pretty severe shopping addiction.

I love finding new and interesting designs for both store bought items and crafts to make at home. I'm guilty of thinking I can make anything I see. I have been proven wrong many, many times, but I keep trying. I dabble in all crafts and will try anything once, but I have a bad habit of abandoning projects. My work space is filled with boxes of beads, scraps of fabric and assorted papers. Working with these amazing crafting and cooking sites is only enabling my bad habits. I'm hoping my time here will motivate me to finish projects.

Melissa Conner

As those who are close to me know, I love cupcakes, little things, fluffy dogs, DIY projects, and Johnny Depp…and not necessarily in that order!

Hi! I’m Melissa and I’m so happy to be part of the Prime Publishing team! I am a lover of all things creative, from scrapbooking to cake decorating, knitting to origami. I love finding new ways to use old things and coming up with cost effective ways to decorate my little Chicago apartment.

Prior to working at Prime, I spent four years in book publishing, where I specialized in craft and puzzle books…so I feel right at home here! I have always tried to surround myself with creative people, and I think I hit the jack pot at Prime!

I am a graduate of Northern Michigan University, where I majored in English Literature and minored in public relations and Native American Studies. While in college I did some freelance writing for various on and off campus publications, including the NMU alumni magazine and a local Native American newspaper.

When I’m not working, crafting, or baking, I’m browsing old book stores, watching Mad Men, or fostering my love of creativity on my personal blog, The Hob-bee Hive. I dream of one day opening my own bookstore/coffee shop/bakery combo...or starring in a movie with Alan Rickman…whichever comes first! 

Nathan Maisel

Nathan Maisel is the newly appointed Community Manager of RecipeLion.com. He is currently working on maintaining, as well as adding, new delicious content to the site from bloggers and food companies.

An avid food fan, Nathan tries to taste all of the great recipes that he adds. Although it is a lot of food to consume, he enjoys eating and will rarely refuse a bite.  Born, raised and still located in Chicago, Nathan attended the University of Illinois and studied Theater Management. Nathan has always enjoyed the company of food and is excited to try new recipes and work with great bloggers.

Nicola Trumbull

Hi, I’m Nicola (think of the singing Swiss men in the Ricola cough drops commercials and you’ll get the idea). I recently received my
B.A. from Augustana College (IL) where I majored in both English and Creative Writing with a minor in Art. I spent my college days playing
clarinet in the Augustana Symphonic Band, competing on the Augustana Equestrian Team, and tutoring fellow students in the Reading/Writing Center.

I’m proud to say that I’m the first female to major in Creative Writing at Augustana and that I paved the way for future writers at Augie. For the entirety of my senior year, I began writing what will hopefully be my first published creative non-fiction novel.

I’m now back in the suburbs of Chicago and enjoying my time at Prime Publishing. A proud member of the Craft Team, I’m the editor of AllFreeCrochetAfghanPatterns and love all things craft. I spend my free time dabbling in photography, making jewelry, crocheting, and drawing. Between my love for horses, music, art, and writing - I’m a pretty creative gal and I feel right at home with the crafty editors at Prime.

Nina Hoffman

Hi, I'm Nina! Born and raised in suburban Chicagoland, it's hard to imagine living anywhere else. From time to time, my husband and I fantasize about retiring to Colorado, but that is a long way away. I spend most of my free time with my children, who are 5 1/2 years and 3 years old. I love to cook and bake, and so do they, so it's pretty much a daily family affair at our house.

I grew up in a house where both my parents cooked, and not just the usual meat and potatoes fare...from a very young age, my siblings and I were exposed to more eclectic meals including Indian curry, Spanish paella, homemade Chinese food, and more. I credit my parents with instilling in me a love of not only eating food, but making it as well. Since I definitely consider myself a foodie, working on food websites and publications is a natural fit for me. 

Rachel Bernstein

As an avid scrapbooker and a baking enthusiast, I feel like I'm right at home working at Prime Publishing. How many people can say they spend their days immersed in amazingly creative craft projects and mouth-watering recipes? I am so excited to call this my job.

I’m a true Midwestern girl. I grew up in St. Louis and have lived in the Chicagoland area for the past seven years. I graduated with a journalism degree from Northwestern University (go Wildcats!) and I have a love of all things media. I’ve worked for newspapers, magazines, an advertising agency and a TV production company. I guess you could call me a Jill of all trades. Before coming to Prime, I produced documentaries for the History Channel, Discovery Channel and Biography Channel. They tended to mostly be about crime, so if you’re curious about biker gangs or mafia kingpins, I'm your girl.

Some of my favorite things in life are travel, chocolate, trashy TV shows (I'm not afraid to admit it!), trying out new restaurants, and puppies. Anytime I see a dog in my neighborhood, I have to stop and pet it. My friends think I'm slightly obsessed, but I just can't resist the cuteness. Now that I work at Prime, I get excited whenever I come across dog sweater patterns, because what's cuter than a puppy in knitwear?

I'm excited to discover more interesting and unique craft projects, and of course share them with all of you!

Simone Collins

I'm Simone, a craft and cooking fanatic. I live in the big city of Chicago with my two big dogs and two favorite guys who are often the subjects of my craft projects and recipes. Although I studied theater in college, crafting has always been a big part of me. My very first scrapbook was in 1985 and featured my favorite topic of that year, all things Michael Jackson. Besides paper crafting, I also enjoy sewing and crocheting in my spare time.

Cooking is not just a necessity in my house, but a challenge. Living with a teen and a vegetarian really challenges my culinary skill level. I love baking or grilling and we own an insane amount of spices, so everything on our table is always flavorful.

When I am not creating projects or recipes, you can find me spending countless hours online both professionally and personally, tweeting, blogging, or pinning crazy content on Pinterest.