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Jeweler’s work to be at Nickelodeon Awards

Some of the jewelry, including earrings and charms, that Samantha Blinn of Wilkes-Barre makes will be presented as gifts at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards March 30 in California.

Samantha Blinn makes jewelry in the living room of her home in Wilkes Barre. The jewelry will be given as gifts to movie stars at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards March 30 in California.

Clark Van Orden/The Times Leader

WILKES-BARRE — Local artist Samantha Blinn is going to Hollywood.

Blinn, 30, of Wilkes-Barre, is the founder of Gimme Some Sugar, an online store from which sells her dessert jewelry — necklaces, earrings and rings decorated with miniature desserts made of polymer clay that is colorfully painted and glazed.

Blinn’s creations will be given as gifts to the presenters and celebrity nominees at the Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards in Los Angeles, an awards show for pre-teens taking place on March 30 and airing April 2 at 8 p.m.

“I’m super excited, and I do feel honored by being selected,” said Blinn, noting she was chosen out of thousands of different artists.

Blinn is a lifelong artist. She began painting and sketching as a child. At Dallas High School, Blinn’s art teacher allowed her class to use the art room for whatever it liked, which allowed Blinn to experiment with different types of art.

As a young adult, she trained as a pastry chef at Luzerne County Community College before being schooled in Trompe L’oeil painting — a French painting technique that makes two-dimensional objects look three-dimensional — by famed Mountain Top artist Anthony Waichulis.

“I paint in a more traditional style, but I use modern subjects,” said Blinn, adding she often paints vintage toys into her paintings to “give a whimsical feel.” Her latest painting features vintage Fisher Price Little People.

Gimme Some Sugar, which is run out of a studio in Blinn’s house, was founded in 2008. “I wanted to incorporate the realistic hybrid of art with pastry design, mixing my two passions,” which are baking and painting, Blinn explained.

The jewelry is listed for sale on the crafting website Etsy.com.

“I found a niche right off the bat” on Etsy, Blinn said. “I was lucky. People started noticing (my work) right away.”

Blinn now has customers across the world, and she does a lot of custom orders on the side.

To finance Blinn’s trip to Hollywood, the local public relations marketing firm GoodOne Productions will hold a fundraiser on March 19 at Molly’s Cozy Corner in Scranton.

If you go

The “Send Gimme Some Sugar to Hollywood” fundraiser event will be held 8 p.m. to midnight March 19 at Molly’s Cozy Corner, 1324 Prospect Ave., Scranton. The event has a $10 cover charge and will feature carnival games, dart tournaments, raffles and door prizes. Proceeds will cover the furnishings and supplies that Blinn needs to attend the awards show.