Country Music Stars to Get Long Valley Gifts

Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney and Blake Shelton are just some of the stars of country music who will be handed a little something made by a Long Valley resident next week.

The designs of Jessica Gattone, a graduate of James Caldwell High School, will be included in the official celebrity gift bags at the 46th Annual CMA Awards in Nashville. 

Her white note cards feature a simple design of musical notes and birds and read: "music takes root in your soul and takes flight."

Through her association with The Artisan Group, Gattone said her work has made it into the hands of Hollywood celebrities.

“The artists participating through The Artisan Group created products specifically designed for the event and approved by the CMA Awards,” she said in an email to The Caldwells Patch. “[Being] featured backstage and being included in the official gift bag at this prestigious event, is quite an honor.”

While at Caldwell High, Gattone was part of a small group of art students who designed and painted the mural in the Caldwell Council Chambers at Borough Hall.

After graduating in 1996, she earned a bachelor’s in fine art with a concentration in graphic design from The School of Art and Design at Alfred University in New York. In 2001, Gattone founded Sparetire Design, her graphic design studio based in Long Valley.

“My work radiates inspiration from nature, music and life,” Gattone said. “After working in the graphic and media design field, I wanted to become less digital. Opening my own graphic design studio, Sparetire Design, allowed me to focus on design and stationery.”

The Country Music Association awards ceremony airs on Thursday, Nov. 1. on ABC.