Jewelry Making Outside The Box: American Made Brass, Designer Finishes

Staying Focused on Your Design Business in the Slower Summer Months

It's easy to begin to think that our creative path is just all leading downhill, especially when things get slow in the summertime. Easy to think that way, not necessarily true.

It's probably really going forward....incrementally. The trick is to get it going in a straight line.....

Instead of broken up in chunks:

When we reach the slower summer months---or for some, should I say, busy summer months? It may be difficult to keep focused and maintain momentum as makers of handmade jewelry. It can be particularly discouraging and hard to keep moving when sales slow to what seems a standstill.

WHAT HAPPENED?

There may be quite a number of reasons beyond economics why sales of your handmades slow down---in any season.

And while we talk about WHY, let's remember:

That's number one, most of all, when taking a step back and examining what's going on. A good attitude! Being positive! Our desire is to CONTINUE, not quit!

Here and there an examination of our business plans and habits is quite important. SO: be brave, and face what you're doing in the eye, stare the monster down. Be determined to be objective and do the work, if work needs to be done.

This is a list of what works for me. Maybe it will help you, too!

1. Run away to the mall. ????? Are you kidding me, a lover and maker of handmade jewelry, off to the mall?

Yes my dear, yes indeed. GO TO THE MALL. Go into all the specialty stores that carry accessories. Check out what they carry, and stop to have a good, good look. Chat up the clerks. Usually earlier in the week in the summertime, mall clerks aren't busy, either, and will be glad to strike up a conversation on trend.

One shop I enjoy checking out is Gracy Lane. You may find that you have one in your mall, it's a chain, a small boutique shop that shows only jewelry and accessories. Key lines are Vera Bradley, Swarovski, Alex and Ani, Brighton.....among other smaller names about which you may not yet have heard.

I hear you from here saying YEEECH. Yes, that would be a typical reaction from handmade designers. But, just give me a listen and let's be very objective:

Did you hear me say, "smaller names about which you may not yet have heard"?

Those smaller names are possibly designers who started out on lap desks and kitchen tables just like you and I did. Ever hear of Carolee jewelry? It's a big name, started in the early 70's. You won't find it in Gracy Lane because it's an upscale department store/bridal shop line these days, all about the glass pearls. But it was started on a kitchen table.

Another line you know, 1928 Jewelry Company, started in a guy's garage.

So yeah.....there's something to consider there.

WHY are those lines selling? WHY do they appear in so many outlets?

While the department store jewelry business is on a bit of a downswing, the specialty shop business is NOT. What IS there about a line like Pandora, or Troll Beads that gets them buying that overpriced product time and time again? Why do people spend so much money on ooodles of antique silver Brighton bangles? Why is Alex and Ani still so hot? You'd think that it would have had its day. IT HAS NOT.

The line continues to expand with more and more new gimmicks, personalizations, charms that speak about people and their interests. ANY of us can and probably have made Alex and Ani style bangles, sheesh, I carry the components (the expandable wire bracelet as well as oodles of workable charms) at B'sue Boutiques

AND: you can make them and sell them for far less than they do.

https://www.bsueboutiques.com/wire-cuff-cuff-bracelet-charms-antique-brass-p/cuff01756.htm

After you make your run through the mall (snap a few pix with your phone camera if you can sneak it in, usually they don't mind, you can say you are snapping them to remember where you found them. That's true, you're doing research!) ....go grab yourself the prerequisite mall Gloria Jean's or Starbuck's coffee, sit down at a table with a little notebook journal you should have put in your purse for notes....and your trusty pen.

Begin to write. Which lines jumped out at you? What did you learn? Hey, don't turn your brain off here because they are jewelry lines sold in a mall. ****People are buying them.**** You need to think about why, because there are points there that DO apply to you.

ALSO: take notice of the median prices. Best selling jewelry usually sells in the 22.00-55.00 sweet spot. Watch out for that as you schmooze through the shops.

Can you sell your jewelry in that sweet spot?

Keep writing in your notes.....

WHEN LOOKERS BECOME BUYERS

2. What is the gimmick, what is the thing that touches the heart, what is the oooh-la-la moment that gets someone to say, yeah, I'll fork over for that mall jewelry?

One is branding. How is YOUR brand doing? Have you pulled it together yet? Do you know what branding is and how important it is for your handmade business?

Branding is not just for big companies with major fundage. All businesses that want recognition on ANY level need branding. This means:

a logo

custom url or domain for your selling spot on line

packaging

business cards

Facebook business page

Pinterest boards

promotionals....print or online

If any of those branding points are remiss, time to see what you can do to shore them up. Personally, I need to work on my Pinterest boards. What do YOU need to work on? Great time to do it when business is slower.

Branding gives you not only recognition but cred (credulity, a sense of buying something of quality and worth the money spent).

THEN: think about this: when you make orders with your suppliers, what catches your eye as far as new products are concerned? New design elements, plating finishes, mixed media products, beads, COLORS? What? What makes YOU buy THOSE things?

It's gonna be basically very similar to what makes people buy that jewelry....or YOUR handmade jewelry. Really, it is. So go have a look, do the research, think deep and identify it. What does that jewelry have that yours doesn't?

ARTISTIC GENEROSITY

3. When YOU are the designer, there is one big truth that holds the floor if you desire to sell your work. While you may choose the style that represents you, that speaks to you as an artist...contemporary, retro, vintage, Boho, etc....it's gotta be a design that people besides you will want to purchase, at a price they can pay.

You may sell a few pieces of work that you made just to please yourself, but if you truly want to make a go at this, you cannot simply please yourself. You will need to discover that delicate intersection in your design life that satisfies you as an artist, but also reaches out to your customer. This is called ARTISTIC GENEROSITY.

When you look at your jewelry listings ask yourself: who is my customer, what is their budget, are they buying my stuff to go with clothing, is it a gift, or does what I make have collectable quality?

Does my work have a cohesive quality? Do I ever repeat a piece in a number of colors?

One artist who has done remarkably well on all these levels is Lori Prull Meyer of Parisienne Girl at Etsy

I would encourage you to stop and take a look at the way she has branded her shop, put her line together, how it has been promoted. The line has fashion elements but works beautifully as a gift line. Many gift lines are timeless and work across the entire year, because everyone needs a gift....all the time. The whole world seems to revolve around events and holidays. Have you considered that in the way you have put your line together?

I loved this online promotion ( I believe it was sometime around Valentine's Day) that Lori crafted:

Check out the feedback Lori gets and how many mention the gift factor.

Check out her professionalism and branding.....and how the look all comes together across all of her categories in her store.

Check out how many sales she has made! This is all throughout the year, not just at the holidays. You can have a similar success doing what you love, by aiming it toward the gifting market, carefully considering color, and making lovely, wearable pieces of quality materials at reasonable prices.

IT'S NOT TIME TO SIT BACK WITH THE REMOTE AND WATCH NETFLIX....

Unless you stream it into your workspace and are making jewelry at the same time.

4. STAY BUSY. Examine your inventory. Is it looking tired, old, picked over? Maybe it's time to take new pictures, not necessarily have a sale. New pictures bring new life to tired pieces that have been hanging around.

Maybe it's time to take some of those pieces down and re-design them! Here's a video that might help you get your head around that idea:

Just yesterday I was looking at a hopper full of jewelry that I made for video projects, etc. I found this piece:

I had it on my Ruby Lane shop as well as my Etsy shop, when I had them up. No one bought it. Now it's time to step back and figure out why. Too much stuff on it? Too heavy? Too many techniques going on? We all have pieces like these that need reworking.

OH, I'M SO DEPRESSED.....WHAT'S THE POINT?

Come on now! Consider the time and money you have into this already! And you know what pleasure designing gives you.

5. CONTINUE CREATING. Just because it's slow NOW, does not mean it will be slow later. How many times do we miss the boat because we were not ready for the offer of a new selling platform/possibility, custom order, or just a busier season? I can tell you, if you have you are not alone. It has happened to me too many heartbreaking times!

I have learned that when it is slow, then it's time to check inventory, restock needed pieces, come up with new design work, and pull what you doing together. As long as a business has inventory, it is never dead in the water; as long as a handmade business has quality, imaginative components to use to make new stock, it's still in the running.

Even though thegarden needs to be weeded and you've got three weddings and a bunch of grad parties still to attend this summer, doesn't mean you should not have budgeted, dedicated time to make new stock, learn a new technique, and organize your workspace.

This video that JewelryDonna and I made a few months back about managing your supply inventory might come in handy:

CONSIDER NEW SELLING PLATFORMS and OPPORTUNITIES

There are many ways to sell your handmade designer jewelry. You may want to consider new consignment opportunities. Get online and find out what shows within driving distance might work, for what you do. What about home parties, trunk shows, and open houses?

Facebook groups are a great way to network with other sellers for new ideas, resources and encouragement. Find the best groups to join that suit YOUR personal needs. Narrow it down to the type of jewelry you make and what you want to do. If you belong to every group for the latest new component, idea, technique, destash, you will soon find that all you do is truck back and forth between groups all day and very little will be accomplished. You may even find yourself feeling overwhelmed and confused.

The worst part? at the end of the day....nothing accomplished.

It happens to me, too, guys.

I've found that I need to start each day with a good list of the major stuff that has to happen. While I do have a bit of trouble finding enough time to create because I am managing a supply business, doing a lot of writing and usually teaching or planning to teach an online class....I do get all of the most important things taken care of, each day.

I'm able to get things finished because of the priorities on the list. While I may have Facebook and other social media screens open all day, I am not necessarily spending time there. Leaving the screens open serves as notice for me so that I will not be long in responding to someone who needs assistance. It can be a distraction but I am beginning to train myself to keep it in its place.

I do like to spend a bit of time attending to my groups and pages each day and I do allot a certain amount of time for that. YOU SHOULD, TOO. But: unless there is a specific reason, I try to stay well within the time frame I allow for social media. I love to visit as much as anyone but, if I am going to get anything done, I can only spend just so much time there. Do your promoting first, then check your groups and friends. ;-)

JUST STAY BUSY

6. IN SUMMARY: J.S.B. JUST STAY BUSY! Slower times really don't indicate you have time on your hands when you are running a business. There is ALWAYS work to do.

My husband is a head custodian in a very large inner-city school system. His busiest time of the year is in the summer, when summer school is over and there are no students in the building. This is the time of year when desks are repaired, floors are stripped and waxed, restrooms refurbished, painting is done. He and his team are busier this time of the year than EVER, in preparation for the next school year.

We should be, as well. Our best selling season of the entire year will be here before you know it!

SO! Keep that great attitude....step back and have an honest look....do a bit of rethinking, even redesigning.....rework your keywords, promotion and branding! There is no time to lose. J.S.B. Just stay busy and you will be ready when the next opportunity comes.

Look! It's right around the corner!

Save

Posted at 02:37 PM in American Made Brass, Designer Finishes, Encouraging Your Artistic Journey, Managing Your Arts and Crafts-Related Business, Style and Color | Permalink | Comments (2)

Our Class Adventures with Cagework Beading in the Haskell Style

My favorite piece of vintage jewelry is this lovely Miriam Haskell brooch. It has provided many an inspiring moment for me, ever since it came into my possession almost twenty years ago and is a beautiful example of cagework beading, using wire.

Cagework beading, or vintage assemblage with wire is a way to use beads, bibs and bobs by attaching them to plated brass filigree with 28 gauge plated wire.

Here are some I'd been working on....none are finished:

Everything starts with a piece of Russian Gold Plated brass.....a finish which we developed OUR WAY for B'sue Boutiques with the assist of an artisan plater.

There is actually a vintage Haskell finding mixed in with one of our initial batches shown above. I think with a bit of searching you will pick it out, but there is little visible difference between our finish and the old one.

Ours is a bit more ruddy, while on the old finish there is the faintest ochre-olivene. But no matter that ours is a bit different! It IS ours, anyway...unique to B'sue Boutiques

We had about 36 students in the class, which was held as part of the B'sue Boutiques Third Annual Workshop. Christi Friesen taught polymer clay for the first two days, then we switched gears entirely and did wire assemblage.

First we spoke about the genre, and a bit about my passion for it, and then the class began. I taught it by small demonstrations, a few at a time....and got everyone started.

This was the kit of goodies distributed to each class member:

All the students needed beyond what you see here was a bit of 28 gauge wire. Some brought their own, but we put a nice big spool for common use on every table.

Everyone did a beautiful job. Some didn't even get up to go to lunch at the break, but kept at it, intent on getting that tapestry beading down!

One of the photos shared with us after the event at the Workshop page we form for it, every year on Facebook.

It wasn't necessary for me to continue to teach in the afternoon. Everyone was in the zone, and quite a few even finished projects. So I just went around from table to table to encourage and help with the work at hand.

Here are some happy and content cagework beaders!

Some had done a bit of caging before, but most had not. Let me share with you some of the lovely things they worked on:

This is Elayne Siegfried's piece in progress:

Finished up....and LOVELY.

Monica Rice was a busy bee....this is only ONE of the pieces she made:

Here is a great start by Janet Wilson:

And a finished brooch by Colleen Bullecks!

And from Terrie Taylor, too....

Emma Hall also made a very nice brooch:

These are only a smattering of the beautiful pieces made by our friends in class. And I know, only a START on a new jewelry making journey for many!

Some have even made more pieces and continue to share them at the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group at Facebook

Others who were not able to attend the class have had a look and given it a try, as well. Allison Murray from Bordeaux and Pearl, took to it like a duck to water. I believe most all of the brass and some of the little bellflower beads came from our place:

A gorgeous composition, indeed!

If you would like to explore more, here is my last video on the subject:

On day I will do that video over as my hands were in the way too much, we had a bad angle! But there has been a great deal of interest in the video and you will find some solid information and ideas how you can proceed with this method.

And of course....

We have everything you need to get started at B'sue Boutiques

Give it a try!

Posted at 07:31 PM in American Made Brass, Designer Finishes, Encouraging Your Artistic Journey, Featuring Artists Whose Work I Admire, Style and Color, Vintage Findings and Antique Jewelry | Permalink | Comments (5)

ROUND THREE: This is IT: The FINAL REVEAL for the Build-a-Line Challenge Class

Here we are!

After three months of diligent work, the members of the Build-a-Line Master Class are finally ready to share the lines they have created with the world! Not only that, doubtless many have reached some conclusions about where they are going and what they will do, going forward.

Some have found they are quite content where they are, enjoying jewelry making as a hobby and perhaps selling a bit of work here and there to help defray costs. This class has helped them to understand what is really required to build and sustain a line of jewelry that sells well, and it might be more work than they wish or need to do. There's nothing wrong with being a hobbyist; honestly, I think that's a wonderful place to be.

For these ones, the class helped them to understand the arduous process, make a decision, and at the same time, how better to pull their work as artists together.

Others are ready to go to the next level....really diving into jewelry making, being ready for shows, home parties, and consignment opportunities. They've learned how to clean up their online selling presence and make their brand more visible. Some have learned for the first time what a brand really IS.

I daresay we also have a few students whose intent to make a solid business plan, and then, become very serious makers with their eyes on that elusive brass ring. They wish to be jewelry designers, build what they do into a solid sideline business or even their primary business.

There was a time when that was all a dream for me....

I was 29 years old. As you can see, I had a young son to care for, at this time about 8 months old. I was very poor. We lived in a small mobile home out in the country. Being out in the country was our big luxury, for we did have a very large piece of ground and every year I made a wonderful garden.

I was always business-minded, so after toying around with a few secretarial jobs I decided to be my own boss. For eleven years I had a very successful cleaning business. I was a hard worker. I worked on my hands and knees for working women and a few quite wealthy ladies, scrubbing floors....even until I was eight months along in my pregnancy and my blouse also wiped the floor along with my scrub rag. Jordan was a very large baby! LOL But he was with me in my work, even then.

Not very long after he was born....about the time this photo was taken, I began hunting flea markets and yard sales, mostly for things for him. I began to find some things of value and was able to sell them to supplement my meager cleaning income. It wasn't long before Jordan and I were scouring every flea we could on a weekly basis, and I was growing an antiques/collectibles by mail business. Off we'd go, me with a large market basket and him in his stroller.

Eventually I parlayed that income into what eventually became my own designer line of jewelry that in time, sold to over 500 store accounts. We sold about $100,000.00 a year of that jewelry....by no means were we any big shakes in that industry. But I did all the same things that others who WERE big shakes in the industry had to do to sell their lines. I had no one to teach me but some great networking and my gut. I learned as I went along. We lasted doing that for the better part of a decade, I was able to make an income at it, and cleaning was a distant memory.

Jordan was with me every step of the way. He hung out with me in the workshop, did little chores down there, helped me schlep packages to UPS and the post office. The most wonderful thing about it all is that by the time he went to school, I was able to stop cleaning and be there to put him on the school bus every day and be there when he got off. I have no regrets! If for that ALONE, it was all worth it.

By 2001 that line was completely over. I sold off my manufacturing inventory and had already begun to sell supplies. B'sue Boutiques as you might know it now began on the internet even some time before I completely phased out that line. Our first website was in 1997 and we sold basic things for people who were repairing jewelry, mostly. But it wasn't long before I began to really develop us as a supply company. All the things I had learned about old jewelry, all the things I had learned about business and making a line of jewelry sure came in handy!

And along the way, we have had seven stand alone websites, 14 years as powersellers at Ebay, almost five years now at Etsy (I think!) and we are always looking for ways to improve what we do....for you.

Jordan is still quite involved, as you know. He worked for me all through home school (he home-schooled 10-12th grades and finished early) part of the time he went to college for business administration, and here and there as needed when he got his job in the bakery at Giant Eagle, which is a huge grocery chain in these parts. He moved up to managing a fuel store with food service and grocery and worked for 'the big bird' as we call it, for six years.

One day he said, "Mom, it's time for me to come home and help in this business. The bird's not for me, but B'sue Boutiques is."

So he handed in his resignation and we have never looked back, not he, not me.

We are a TEAM, along with his wife Lauren, my best friend Shelley, my niece, Javi, and sometimes here and there her husband, Rob...and Rob's mom, my sister-in-law, Donna (or JewelryDonna which is her brand, she is developing her own line, too!)

Part of the deal for this year's class is that I would be creating a line of jewelry along with the class. It's been a very long time since I have done this; I feel I have the cohesive thing down as I am a designer of many years and my stuff goes a certain way that says B'sue. But...BUILD A LINE???? What WAS I thinking? Was there not enough to keep me up late at night already?

WELL......I did it. The idea came right along; I decided to bring back our old chocolate ox brass and use that. We used to call it choxie! It looks like milk chocolate, no kidding. So, the idea of Sugar Shop Jewelry presented itself. I have even procured the domain name for it. It's a solid idea....

Sugar Shop Jewelry will have several facets, or sub-lines/collections. The first, which I am working on for the class, is called Chocolate Frosting. Are you ready to see that part of the line so far?

TA-DA!

This is by no means all of it, but it is the primary part.....for now. I consider this a practice line; I am still bouncing ideas. I have indeed gotten a sense of direction from the exercise. True to B'sue, it will be a feminine, fussy little line, but not too fussy or too elaborate. I guess the best adjectives are sentimental and pretty.

Some better looks at some of the parts in this part of the Chocolate Frosting sub-line:

That's a variation of my bound-wire charm bracelet....and the parts that pull it together with the rest of the sub-line are the cameos and the choxie brass.

Brooch and earrings and cameo string necklace.....I love this style of necklace and have made myself many. Dunno if I ever made any to sell!

A longer length necklace with mini assemblage on a two-sided puffy heart:

And another, featuring lovely filigree beads and Czech glass in the neckline....

I made a series of brooches for the line as well:

The fussy little brooch in the center is deeply inspired by the line I had in the 90's. One of our most popular pieces was built a bit this way, only the top was engraved.

I don't have the pin backs on yet as it made photo a little easier. I see I need to do some clean-up. The front is ready to go except I see some glue strings that need pulled off, etc. That camera doesn't lie! You'll find it's your best friend when you go to check your work and see if there is anything you've missed!

Here is the back....I have a tiny signature on it but I see some glue bits and a bit of dirt on the back of the old buttons that are part of the base. A little Goo-Gone on a q-tip will make short work of them. After I do the Goo-Gone I will have to do a little alcohol on a swab, and let dry before I glue on the pin back. The trick then is to get enough glue on the pin back, but not make a mess and then, place it just right so that that pinback does not shift as it sets up.

Here are some of the backs of the other pieces, with signatures. I like to do mine by hand.

There is more to this line, though.

I made a lot of earrings, most with the cameos, but some with rosaline Czech glass and some pretty bead drops. So Rosaline is another collection, but still under Chocolate Frosting.

Those cabs are just luminous! I love the way this one came out. I do believe I will keep it!

I still didn't have a statement part to the line, so, I made this parure. It has a color add, so I guess this collection would be Chocolate Frosting with Sprinkles:

I put Chocolate Frosting Mosaic on it, but naaah. Should be 'with sprinkles' because of the color add. I used tiny looped robin's egg blue Czech beads and Czech fire opal stones.

All in all with some earrings I didn't photo, I have over 18 pieces.

Now, I need to spend a bit of time re-checking connections, adding pinbacks and doing that little bit of clean-up. Then it's time make some good photos for selling. I will put it on my regular website just to park it for now.

There is a ferocious mess up here in the office....I made most of it as I binge-watched most of eleven seasons of Frasier on Netflix. Well, during at least the last four seasons. To be honest, I have made most of this stuff this week!

That's why I haven't been on line much. LOL

Anyway.....now that I have this ferocious mess, I also have some more ferocious ideas. I will straighten this place up but I will continue working.

Let's see where this road goes, since I have plenty of things to use up!

And after our May workshop here in Columbiana, Ohio, Jordan and I will sit down and build a solid business plan for Sugar Shop Jewelry.

Or not.

We do have some decisions to make, since our primary business is supply and taking care of other artists' needs....and those needs will not be neglected for jewelry making. First and foremost I have a commitment made to those who come to me for components and assistance....and new ideas! That commitment means everything to us.

Regrettably, I have had to come to the realization that there really are only 24 hours in a day and I should be sleeping at 7-8 of them. Perhaps he and I can figure out a better creative schedule for B'sue.

If nothing else it was a TON of fun and will surely lead to some new videos!

AND NOW.....THERE ARE LOTS OF OTHER LINES TO REVEAL! Hop along with me and check out all the other students' work! Below you will find the list of participants and links to their blogs. I surely appreciate their participation in class and all their creativity. Be prepared to be blown away!

If you can, stop for a moment and leave our class members an encouraging comment. It will do much to boost confidence and keep the juices flowing.

Diana Buynak Butterfly Emporium Ceramic Studio

http://butterflyemporium.indiemade.com/blog

Irene Hoffman, Heart's Dezire by Irene

http://heartsdezirebyirene.wordpress.com

Clare Wells Nemeth, Creative Magick

http://www.craftingmagick.blogspot.com

Mary Reckmeyer, Afrayed Not

http://www.afrayedknot.net

Marcia Tuzzolino, Aurora Designs

http://auroradesignsjewelryblog.me

Elizabeth Wilks, Wearable Art by Lizzie

http://wearableartbylizzie.blogspot.com

Jeanette Rose Belmont, One Canvas At A Time

http://www.onecanvasatatime.com

Lyn Joy Reeve, A Journey From Jewels To Jubilation

http://lnreeve00.blogspot.com

Beth Trubman, The Journey of Jewelry

http://thejourneyofjewelry.blogspot.com

Carole Carlson, Bead Sophisticate

http://beadsophisticate.wordpress.com

Jann Tague, Clever Designs by Jann

http://janntague.wordpress.com

Shari Gardner, SLG Jewelry Designs

http://slgdesigns.wordpress.com

Susan Bolton, Fern's Place

http://www.fernsplace.org

Chris Kemp, Noodle Pie Bracelets

http://noodlepiebracelets.com

Susan Bowerman, Woodside Wireworks

http://woodsidewireworks.com/

Pamela Anger, Novegatti Designs

http://novegattidesigns.blogspot.com

Joan Donovan, Hailey's Cottage

http://haileyscottage.com/

Alison Huie, Ally's Baubles

http://www.allysbaubles.blogspot.com

Sharon Palac, Sharon's Jewelry Garden

http://www.sharonsjewelrygarden.blogspot.com

Erica Olmos, Beeb's Closet

https://beebscloset.wordpress.com

Erin Whitacre, Shattered Time Jewelry

https://shatteredtimejewelry.wordpress.com

Fran Sitton, Sitton Up Front

https://sittonupfront.wordpress.com

Ginger Hammond, Lynn Leigh Designs

https://lynnleighdesigns.wordpress.com

Paula Gaskill, Lovely LaylaBug Jewels

http://www.lovelylaylabugjewels.com/Blog.php

Mary Deis, The Rose Sword

http://theroseswordmdeis.blogspot.com

Renee Webb Allen, Small Stuff Design

http://smallstuffdesign.com

Valerie Tilghman, ArtJewelsandGifts

http://www.artjewelzdimensions.blogspot.com

Chris Cravens, Vintage Cravens

http://christinecravens.blogspot.com

Leslie Carver, Adorn Divine Designs

http://www.adorndivinedesigns.blogspot.com

Donna Parry, JewelryDonna

http://jewelrydonna.typepad.com

Gina-Marie Hammer, Tangles, Twists and Treasures

http://tanglestwistsandtreasures.com/blog/

Kelly Wymer, Winged Wisdom Enchantments

https://wingedwisdomenchantments.wordpress.com/

Posted at 10:27 PM in American Made Brass, Designer Finishes, Encouraging Your Artistic Journey, Featuring Artists Whose Work I Admire, Managing Your Arts and Crafts-Related Business, Selling Your Work, Style and Color | Permalink | Comments (40)

ROUND TWO: Our Second Blog Hop for the 2016 Build a Line Challenge

This has been a focused and fruitful month for the members of the Build a Line Challenge Group.

We've discussed so many topics!

First there was the discussion about VOGUE magazine and how to learn to read it for content that well MAY affect what you need to design in the future.

Then, we talked about managing your supply inventory, and how the business of supply works. Donna and I actually made a video about it....here's a link if you haven't seen it:

We talked about the pyramid of sales:

We also talked about pricing your jewelry for profit. There are are about as many ideas and pricing methods as there are ways to make meatloaf.

SO.....I will be honest: I dislike pricing threads. At the same time, this class would hardly be complete without one.

To be sure, we had a great discussion that benefited all! And we all agreed that in the long run, each part of your line and every piece is individual, and sometimes ya just gotta jiggle it!

We also spoke about the virtue of making pieces for our lines that could be reproduced, especially on the lower tiers. We realized that if we could do that, we could make more money and expand our brand.

All throughout the month we had updates on class members' progress. Some practically have their full line done! Those ones are chomping at the bit for the last hop so they can show you! No one is allowed to show their full line until the last hop.

Of course, this year I promised to create a line along with the class. At first I only intended it to be an example or prototype. I didn't really intend to do anything much with it. I was just going to be an exercise.

But then!!!!

I had an epiphany: SUGAR SHOP JEWELRY. I got the idea looking at box of chocolate brass I'd gotten in. I did think I would use it for class. I just thought it would be something different as we don't actively carry chocolate brass anymore. But the more I looked at it...

The more it looked like CHOCOLATE FROSTING.

The structure of the Sugar Shop line came literally in minutes after I got the Chocolate Frosting part. Everyone that has seen and heard about the line has been nearly as excited about it as I have been.

The thing is....how to make it happen with so much going on in my life, already.

My head felt like this tangled mess of chain:

Eventually I realized that my biggest blow to progress at the moment, was that my workshop was set up for shooting video, rather than real work. It looks great and is very visual. BUT:

None of my pieces and parts were in logical places where I could easily find them! Until that could happen, this line could not happen. THIS WORKSHOP HAD TO BE PUT BACK INTO PRODUCTION MODE....just as it was, twenty years ago!

I won't kid you....at first, the idea of reorganizing this space blew my mind. Well...you won't get anywhere feeling like a nervous wreck. I had to move forward and find a place to start. I realized, okay, let's start with the surfaces. I quickly saw that I had a large space blocked by my big map chest. The ventilation pipe was coming right down through there.....the entire area was wasted.

Donna came over and we moved it to the other end of the bench. I got some nice storage bins for little parts from Walmart online (they have so many nice bins and if you spend $50.00 or more, they ship it to you free!) When they arrived, I began to set up that space.

I have new mats arriving for the benches, too, so they'll have a fresh start. There is still a lot of tweaking to do, but it's all good. At least I can begin working and I have a place to put bits and parts where I can find them quickly!

I cleared the other side of the L-shaped bench as well. This is where I have always done a lot of painting, resin and Swellegant work:

We shot a lot of our videos the first 2-3 years right here.

I also removed a lot of unnecessary items from the top of the large worktable at the back of the workshop. Every time we did video, Javi always had to take a world of stuff out of the road so she could get a clear, unencumbered shot.

Well, she won't have to do that anymore!

The biggest part of the work is that while the storage units fit nicely under the table and benches, nothing in them makes much sense. This is true especially for the units under the table, and under the bench on the back wall.

To make Sugar Shop Jewelry and have fun while doing it (rather than making it another work nightmare in the B'sue world) I HAD to dump out some of those bins and just ditch stuff. Yes....stuff I would rather have kept, good stuff. BUT! I needed the space for Sugar Shop and there was no point in keeping it. I pulled out what I would use, and the rest went in bags and on the storage shelves on the other side of the basement.

I'll deal with it later, probably make up some Muse packages.

All in all it was about getting done what is necessary for now and worry about perfection later. Just as it was every time before when I began a big project, I'd move stuff around as I began to work in the space. Letting go of perfection, I started to make progress!

Here is my drawer all ready with little pieces and bits I will use in beading and connecting this line:

That's by all means not all, but it's what I have now. I'm expecting shipments in the next week to ten days. I've got space cleared out now for that stuff, when it arrives.

Here are the stones I am most likely to use in this line:

That is all subject to change but it's a place to bounce. Everyone needs a bouncing-off space.

And here is a drawer full of beads I am mostly likely to use....with more on the way, still:

Hmmmmm.....will Pinky find a place in this line?

I don't know yet. ;-)

Here is a drawer full of chocolate brass:

I threw a few bits of brass ox in there for more bouncing....to see if I needed to blend something, could I? My jury is out on that for now. It's just nice to have a drawer to throw things into, for trial ideas.

All in all, I cleared at least six drawers COMPLETELY out. There will be plenty of room for the other things I will use for this line....a drawer dedicated to bead caps.....a section for ceramic roses and spectra beads.....a place for matching blanks. I have a lot of things out at the platers' now and they will be showing up over the course of the next few weeks.

I also re-discovered a lot of things I forgot I had, and *can* use!

There will have lots of room to continue 'building organized drawers' as I develop the other parts of the line....Vanilla Frosting, which will be a shabby whites line, Party Cake which will be very colorful, Wedding Cake which is a small wedding line, Cafe Au Lait which will be less fussy and done in neutrals. Of course Box of Chocolates is where I will have my random stuff and it could be ANYTHING. That's where I will still have room to play as an artist.

Now that I have this much pulled together, I feel like I can think clearly. I do need to get moving now! I know the basic look of the line, but no, I don't have anything completed. For the class I may just bounce a practice line off one easy peasy piece. That will get the ball rolling....

From experience, I know it will come. I can stop breathing hard over this. Looking back, I can't believe I had the brass to jump in the way I did, knowing next to nothing about business and supplying stores with a gift line of jewelry. What I had was tremendous drive and will to make it work. Nothing to do but dig in, and figure it out on the fly.

Cheeze Louise, I was so unaware of the work it would take that I didn't even know how to be brave about it! I just DID it.

I remember this girl.....

That girl had a bunch of creative energy and no knowledge of how to focus it. She didn't know anything at all about jewelry! She didn't have any....the pearl choker in the photo was borrowed....and no idea of what she liked. I guess she figured it out.

It took a long time and a lot of head-banging to reach my goals. Why should my friends and customers struggle as I did, when I can share my experience and knowledge with them?

In the long run, we all have to make it work by DOING the work.....

But a network of colleagues and mentors is essential for success. I had some back then, and I have many more now. In the class, we all have each other.

I hope you will take time to read down through the blog posts from all the students. You are going to enjoy their observations, and you will probably learn things that can help you in your own creative work. If possible, leave them an encouraging comment. You have no idea how much those comments mean to them....and to me. Thanks for taking time for us!

Here is the hopping list!

Brenda Sue Lansdowne Jewelry Making Outside the Box

http://www.bsueboutiques.typepad.com

Diana Buynak Butterfly Emporium Ceramic Studio

http://butterflyemporium.indiemade.com/blog

Irene Hoffman, Heart's Dezire by Irene

http://heartsdezirebyirene.wordpress.com

Clare Wells Nemeth, Creative Magick

http://www.craftingmagick.blogspot.com

Mary Reckmeyer, Afrayed Not

http://www.afrayedknot.net

Marcia Tuzzolino, Aurora Designs

http://auroradesignsjewelryblog.me

Elizabeth Wilks, Wearable Art by Lizzie

http://wearableartbylizzie.blogspot.com

Jeanette Rose Belmont, One Canvas At A Time

http://www.onecanvasatatime.com

Lyn Joy Reeve, A Journey From Jewels To Jubilation

http://lnreeve00.blogspot.com

Beth Trubman, The Journey of Jewelry

http://thejourneyofjewelry.blogspot.com

Carole Carlson, Bead Sophisticate

http://beadsophisticate.wordpress.com

Jann Tague, Clever Designs by Jann

http://janntague.wordpress.com

Shari Gardner, SLG Jewelry Designs

http://slgdesigns.wordpress.com

Susan Bolton, Fern's Place

http://www.fernsplace.org

Chris Kemp, Noodle Pie Bracelets

http://noodlepiebracelets.com

Susan Bowerman, Woodside Wireworks

http://woodsidewireworks.com/

Pamela Anger, Novegatti Designs

http://novegattidesigns.blogspot.com

Joan Donovan, Hailey's Cottage

http://haileyscottage.com/

Alison Huie, Ally's Baubles

http://www.allysbaubles.blogspot.com

Sharon Palac, Sharon's Jewelry Garden

http://www.sharonsjewelrygarden.blogspot.com

Erica Olmos, Beeb's Closet

https://beebscloset.wordpress.com

Erin Whitacre, Shattered Time Jewelry

https://shatteredtimejewelry.wordpress.com

Fran Sitton, Sitton Up Front

https://sittonupfront.wordpress.com

Ginger Hammond, Lynn Leigh Designs

https://lynnleighdesigns.wordpress.com

Paula Gaskill, Lovely LaylaBug Jewels

http://www.lovelylaylabugjewels.com/Blog.php

Mary Deis, The Rose Sword

http://theroseswordmdeis.blogspot.com

Renee Webb Allen, Small Stuff Design

http://smallstuffdesign.com

Valerie Tilghman, ArtJewelsandGifts

http://www.artjewelzdimensions.blogspot.com

Chris Cravens, Vintage Cravens

http://christinecravens.blogspot.com

Leslie Carver, Adorn Divine Designs

http://www.adorndivinedesigns.blogspot.com

Donna Parry, JewelryDonna

http://jewelrydonna.typepad.com

Gina-Marie Hammer, Tangles, Twists and Treasures

http://tanglestwistsandtreasures.com/blog/

Kelly Wymer, Winged Wisdom Enchantments

https://wingedwisdomenchantments.wordpress.com/

Posted at 11:42 PM in American Made Brass, Designer Finishes, Encouraging Your Artistic Journey, Featuring Artists Whose Work I Admire, Selling Your Work, Style and Color, Things I've Learned From Others' Blogs | Permalink | Comments (31)

ROUND ONE: Our First Blog Hop for the Build-a-Line Challenge Class, 2016

This class is the result of 28 years in the trade, one form or another, and lots of tough experiences.

The good news is: I learned how to build a line back in the 90's, and eventually I sold it to about 500 store accounts. At one time, the line had 300 pieces. We could never fit them all in a catalog....but this is the cover of the last one we produced in the late 90's.

B'sue Boutiques was originally a little heart's-ease, cute line of gift jewelry that was designed by me and made by myself and 7 artisan helpers....in my basement. It was not a lovely work area, as it is now:

It was really quite rough and I think the way we endured it was that we really loved what we did, and we loved each other. All of us were friends, and a number of the girls who worked with me were Latinas, and it was from them that I really developed my love of their language. I taught them how to make jewelry, and they taught me to speak Spanish....well. I just wish I had some photos of that old workshop to show you. We all fit in there with plenty of space. It was well planned....but so busy, we never thought to take any pictures.

I loved that line of jewelry. One of my favorite things to make was this little pin on one of the pages of that catalog.

PN-38 was our best seller, because you could have it your way, engraved your way, and embellished your way. If you bought 12, we would give you 13....lagniappe. I always have given a little something extra.

The prep was quick and I did all the engraving. Then we would take the orders and make a master for the week, and then check stock because we always tried to have the best sellers made ahead to some extent.

From the master we would see what we didn't have, or what was custom, and get cracking. Each knew what little bits should be put on which theme. All the tiny charms and accents were kept in individual bins for quick finding! And those pearl buttons....we had serious poundage of them. We had them in big boxes all over the place, and we used A LOT of them. They were plentiful; I would advertise in the antiques papers Wanted To Buy and I got all I could ever want, for 6.00 a pound!

That would never happen now!

The challenge was to make those brooches in 15 minutes. Not long ago, I challenged myself to see if I could still do it neatly:

YES! I still can. AND, in under fifteen minutes.

When I planned the 2016 master challenge class, I decided that I would build a line along with the class based on my old line, maybe a reprise of it.

BUT THEN....I thought, no. Not quite. While I may make a few similar pieces, I eventually realized it would be better to do one one just a bit inspired by what I had done over 20 years ago.....and bring it up to speed with some of the tricks I've learned since then.

So: I am still in the planning stages! I do have a theme, though....and a plan of attack. It's been so much fun mapping out this little journey! Here you see my little black worktable that I keep back in my office. (NOTE TO SELF: get a white one! If I want to take pictures on it, they just really don't come out very well!)

You can see my notes there at the top left. Yes, I'm calling my line Sugar Shop (Jewelry).

And I am working on the "Chocolate Frosting" section:

As you can see, I am using Chocolate Brass, which at this time we do not regularly carry at B'sue Boutiques When we did, the sales of it were lukewarm even though I felt I had a better version of it than the other popular chocolate brass lines out on the marketplace, and our prices were certainly more reasonable.

I always loved it though.

Doesn't it just look yummy like a can of frosting? This piece isn't finished yet, though....

You can see I am playing with names....we used to nickname that dark brown finish, Choxie. But I don't think I can really use that on a website, as I think Target used to have a line of chocolates you could buy with that name. But as you can see, it is REALLY chocolate, like deep milk chocolate. Or a can of frosting!

So I am toying with the idea....do I change the chocolate brass up? Do I distress it? Do I add a tiny bit of color? What color?

At this time I am leaning toward Patina color Gilder's Paste....and other little colored bits on the work. Maybe give it the feeling of chocolate frosting with sprinkles!

I tried photographing it on several backgrounds to see what might make it pop.....or make ME pop!

Here again are the parts I am fiddling with now:

Things could change. Until we meet again on this subject at our second hop, which is February 26th....I may have new parts or change this all up.

Sugar Shop Jewelry, however, will remain my theme.

Sugar Shop Jewelry will be a name under the B'sue Boutiques umbrella. And under it, will come various categories:

Chocolate Frosting

Vanilla Frosting

Party Cake

Wedding Cake

Box of Chocolates

Coffee with Cream

....or something like that.

I won't get all of those sub-lines done by the end of this class, but in each line I'd like to have 5-10 key pieces that could be reproduced easily. Vanilla Frosting will be shabby whites. Party Cake will be jewelry to wear to a party! Wedding Cake will be wedding jewelry, Coffee with Cream might be some less fussy casual looks or maybe something literal---coffee and tea charms and motifs on the pieces!

Box of Chocolates will be just like Forest Gump's....you never know what you're gonna get. That is where I will put statement pieces and one-off's that will not be reproduced.

I am still thinking about ideas for a line using our silver.....It will come.

As we go along in the hop, I will let you know more about my plans for my new line, going forward.

It's been a great month! We've built collages of past work and stood back to take a hard look and determine if our styles spoke one voice, and if not, what we could do to tighten up and become more cohesive. We have also talked about our style and identifying----or better still, DISCOVERING our customer! Who is she? WHERE is she?

We've talked about whether our lines are gift lines or fashion lines, or do they straddle both, go either way?

And we've discussed design styles of the past....for inspiration and knowledge! We have talked about famous designers like Chanel, Haskell and Schiaparelli....and the differences between them. We have spoken of Renaissance and Gothic Revival jewelry, Victorian, Edwardian, Civil War style (mid-Victorian), Edwardian, Arts and Crafts Period Jewelry, Jugenstil, Bauhaus, Victorian Revival, Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods. We've learned a lot, and many have commented that this part of the class was fun!

The next few weeks will be just as challenging, but for now, why not bring your coffee and come hop with me through the class members' blogs? Here are the participants:

Brenda Sue Lansdowne Jewelry Making Outside the Box

http://www.bsueboutiques.typepad.com

Diana Buynak Butterfly Emporium Ceramic Studio

http://butterflyemporium.indiemade.com/blog

Irene Hoffman, Heart's Dezire by Irene

http://heartsdezirebyirene.wordpress.com

Clare Wells Nemeth, Creative Magick

http://www.craftingmagick.blogspot.com

Mary Reckmeyer, Afrayed Not

http://www.afrayedknot.net

Marcia Tuzzolino, Aurora Designs

http://auroradesignsjewelryblog.me

Elizabeth Wilks, Wearable Art by Lizzie

http://wearableartbylizzie.blogspot.com

Jeanette Rose Belmont, One Canvas At A Time

http://www.onecanvasatatime.com

Lyn Joy Reeve, A Journey From Jewels To Jubilation

http://lnreeve00.blogspot.com

Belinda Reed-Ingle, Vogue Rocks

http://voguerocks.blogspot.com

Beth Trubman, The Journey of Jewelry

http://thejourneyofjewelry.blogspot.com

Carole Carlson, Bead Sophisticate

http://beadsophisticate.wordpress.com

Jann Tague, Clever Designs by Jann

http://janntague.wordpress.com

Shari Gardner, SLG Jewelry Designs

http://slgdesigns.wordpress.com

Susan Bolton, Fern's Place

http://www.fernsplace.org

Chris Kemp, Noodle Pie Bracelets

http://noodlepiebracelets.com

Barbara Kelley, Angels' Keep

http://angelskeepbandbdotcom.wordpress.com

Susan Bowerman, Woodside Wireworks

http://woodsidewireworks.com/

Pamela Anger, Novegatti Designs

http://novegattidesigns.blogspot.com

Joan Donovan, Hailey's Cottage

http://haileyscottage.com/

Alison Huie, Ally's Baubles

http://www.allysbaubles.blogspot.com

Sharon Palac, Sharon's Jewelry Garden

http://www.sharonsjewelrygarden.blogspot.com

Erica Olmos, Beeb's Closet

https://beebscloset.wordpress.com

Erin Whitacre, Shattered Time Jewelry

https://shatteredtimejewelry.wordpress.com

Fran Sitton, Sitton Up Front

https://sittonupfront.wordpress.com

Ginger Hammond, Lynn Leigh Designs

https://lynnleighdesigns.wordpress.com

Paula Gaskill, Lovely LaylaBug Jewels

http://www.lovelylaylabugjewels.com/Blog.php

Mary Deis, The Rose Sword

http://theroseswordmdeis.blogspot.com

Renee Webb Allen, Small Stuff Design

http://smallstuffdesign.com

Valerie Tilghman, ArtJewelsandGifts

http://www.artjewelzdimensions.blogspot.com

Chris Cravens, Vintage Cravens

http://christinecravens.blogspot.com

Leslie Carver, Adorn Divine Designs

http://www.adorndivinedesigns.blogspot.com

Donna Parry, JewelryDonna

http://jewelrydonna.typepad.com

Gina-Marie Hammer, Tangles, Twists and Treasures

http://tanglestwistsandtreasures.com/blog/

Kelly Wymer, Winged Wisdom Enchantments

https://wingedwisdomenchantments.wordpress.com/

Posted at 10:48 PM in American Made Brass, Designer Finishes, Encouraging Your Artistic Journey, Featuring Artists Whose Work I Admire, Managing Your Arts and Crafts-Related Business, Mixed Media Technique, Selling Your Work, Style and Color, Things I've Learned From Others' Blogs | Permalink | Comments (41)

Cagework Assemblage: The Basics of Beads and Filigree on Wire

Have you ever been intrigued by jewelry made with tiny beads on wire, rose montees and other bits and pieces artfully arranged on filigree?

Some call this type of jewelry making cagework beading, others call it Haskell style. To be sure, it's just another form of assemblage....but different from all others.

Most assemblage these days comes under the Mixed Media Jewelry genre/title. Some folks call it collage as well. Typically in collage jewelry, glue, rivets and tabs are used to secure the ornaments used in the design.

Cagework assemblage, Haskell or Hagler style---requires extra thought and engineering as it requires little or none of those things.

You will want to use 28 ga plated wire. (I use gold plated but there are some brass plated colors that will work nicely, too----or use silver if you are using silver findings, etc) For me, it seems the size 11 type seed beads work best for "tapestry beading" where you are covering an area of filigree, or a leaf. You need small ones to make a smooth fit without funky gaps.

You can see proper technique in this lovely Miriam Haskell brooch that I own:

The beading done on the leaves and flower petals is tapestry beading. The beads used here are very small faceted baroque glass pearls probably 2.5-3mm. They are on the larger side for this sort of work. You probably would never use something larger.

I've found that the smaller the finding you cover, the more fiddly it becomes.

Petals and leaves are important pieces in this type of assemblage. You will develop patterns and layers with them in your piece. Some leaves in the pattern will be beaded, others might be bare or possibly colorized with your own choice of technique. That is for you to decide.

The best leaf stampings for tapestry beading are rather 'serrated' down the sides.....like this one:

It is found on our website, here:

http://www.bsueboutiques.com/brass-leaves-jewelry-making-satin-matte-gold-26m-p/lf05152.htm

If using this piece I would drill or punch a pilot hole middle top of the leaf as it helps to go through there, up and around the stem to anchor, and start wrapping beads. At the finish you bring the wire straight up to the tail from your starting point, and do the twist off (you will see some pix of the twist off on some old pieces, the farther you read along).

Finally, you will bury the ends of the wire among the other wires.

It is very hard, however, to cover up the wires on the back of a tiny leaf but I have seen where a smaller lacy leaf was taken and applied over the back for a nicer finish.

You could also use a leaf that has holes down its side, like this one:

We have these going right and left at the website under Brass Leaves

This one works very nicely, too:

Some cut a long length of wire from the spool and begin wrapping at the top and go down to the base of a leaf....others recommend that you work from the end of the spool and don't cut the wire off.

If you are attaching a focal it's recommended that you cut 3-4 inch lengths FROM the spool and attach the piece through two holes in the filigree or drilled piece (some also use screen findings, the very early Haskell pieces used screen findings).

At the back you will TWIST the ends together tightly, being careful that they do not snap. This very old unsigned Haskell pin from the collection of Cathy Gordon, one of the writers of MIRIAM HASKELL JEWELRY, will show you the twist-off:

Here is another example of the back of a very early Haskell piece, where several filigree circlets are soldered onto a barpin grid. We actually carry very similar circlets at B'sue Boutiques

Again this picture comes from Cathy Gordon's archives:

As time went on and the work became refined, most pieces were 'faced' with an opposing or complimentary filigree:

And, as you can see, they were signed.

The brass findings were of better quality and more plentiful than in the earlier pieces, which were composed mostly of beads. Some of the findings were French but most were made right here in the United States. Many still are, and I am always adding them to our inventory at the website.

The plating on the findings was called Russian Gold Plating, and it was a mustardy-brown antiquing over a fine gold plated primary finish. In this photo you'll see an older piece with RGP finish, and a raw brass, unplated new piece:

The one on the left is vintage, probably from the late 50's til late 60's. The large one on the right is raw brass and still made, in fact, it just arrived here yesterday.

Sometimes in the old vintage cagework, regular stampings were also used as focal pieces. In order to incorporated with beads, they had to be punched, or drilled. This is a vintage silver plated Haskell finding with tiny drill holes made for wiring, from my small collection of unused findings:

This could easily be accomplished with a small hole punch. Another example in the old RGP finish. Again, this piece is still made.

I found that my usual methods of approaching assemblage don't really work when doing a piece in this style. There is MUCH more planning required. I'll need not only to decide what type of leaves I will use, but also if I will need to drill or punch 'pilot holes' for the wire.

I'll need to check and be sure I have enough seed beads! It takes more than you think, sometimes!

WOW....I wonder how many were in this parure set of three pieces that match?

Again, this photo is courtesy of Cathy Gordon.

As the Haskell and Hagler styles progressed up into the 50's, you saw more and more brass stampings being used in the layers.

For me, this is where it really gets interesting, as I love the play of beaded and unbeaded pieces, manipulating and layering!

This very rare piece from Cathy Gordon's files features an amazing crystal head as a focal! A Haskell lady head brooch!

Since I am a huge fan of this type of jewelry both vintage and handmade, I am always looking for vintage style pieces of filigree and components to bring in to the B'sue Boutiques website

Today I made a collage of some of the pieces that came in yesterday that could be handily used in this type of assemblage:

I would probably not bead those filigree leaves. I might colorize them, though, as they are raw brass. The curved filigree leaves are awesome for adding dimension to be piece. They are very pretty, though, if you go up through the spine, or the middle with rose montees or tiny baroque pearls.

You're the designer....it's your call!

This piece in the collage is really handy for wrapping around a stone or focal so that you can build the design around it:

I love beading this brass fan.....if you go to its listing on the site and click to see the secondary photo, you will see a fun piece I made long ago with it and a sleek hand finding, such as you see in the collage:

http://www.bsueboutiques.com/brass-stampings-unplated-stampings-p/fig05241.htm

We also just got some vintage hinged cuffs that are perfect for doing tapestry beading, all around:

Find it here:

http://www.bsueboutiques.com/vintage-cuff-base-jewelry-making-patina-25inch-p/cuff05256.htm

I only touched the tip of the iceberg on this subject....it's been something that's mesmerized me for years. If you are interested in this sort of work, making a deep study of how the pieces were really made, will help you to understand the soul of the work and to develop great texture and dimension in your pieces.

I'll be back with more photos and reports the more I study along and get my techniques worked out!

Posted at 07:05 PM in American Made Brass, Designer Finishes, Encouraging Your Artistic Journey, Mixed Media Technique, Style and Color, Vintage Findings and Antique Jewelry | Permalink | Comments (12)

The CHANGE IT UP Blog Hop From B'sue Boutiques...Mixed Media Jewelry Making with Vintage Jewelry Findings

For us as artists, nothing could be truer.....if we don't look at things from a new angle, we will stay in the same old rut and never grow. Our work will become stale and ordinary.

That does NOT mean, however, that we cannot stay true to our roots. My style roots are in vintage jewelry and always will be. I'm not a big repurposer, I prefer to let the old pieces alone unless there just is no other hope for them, then yes, I'll cabbage a component and use it.

More than anything, however, I love to take the brass stampings and vintage jewelry supplies we offer at B'sue Boutiques and see what new thing I can do with them. I prefer to take today's techniques, mix them with the old, tried and true....and see what design I can create that is true to me and true to my first love....vintage jewelry.

For this hop we were to use at least one of the components in this collage:

I chose two of them, the leafy swag top left, and the pretty heart at top bottom.

I determined that I wanted to do a little beading on wire with my designs, and I made three, each one a little harder than the one before.

My first is this one.....

As you can see the heart is encased in filigree to build a back for it, as it is a hollow piece. I have been doing this for awhile.....my first was ten years ago....here is a patina piece:

I used this filigree...raw brass, turned sideways:

Find it here at B'sue Boutiques: http://www.bsueboutiques.com/product-p/fil07772.htm

I turn it SIDEWAYS and then begin to bend it across the heart until it lines up just right, then tamp down the front with flat nose pliers.

Generally I patina first, but in the case of paints, I put the heart together first, and this case I used Krylon cream spray paint, let dry, then light mist of Amber Sea Glass Krylon until I got just the shade of pinkish brown that I wanted. Since I would be working with light chocolate pearls and creme baroque pearls, I thought that would be a good mix.

And it includes that lovely little German filigree cat, they came in JUST in time for my project. The German filigree is amazing and comes in in this rich chocolate patina, which is aged brass. Find that kitty here:

http://www.bsueboutiques.com/vintage-filigree-scaredy-cat-dark-brass-32x30mm-p/rare04210.htm

I used some dark, bronzey chainmaille chain I had gotten from a vintage buy. It is very inspiring!

The pearl drop is attributed to old Miriam Haskell stock.

And here is the back:

Going on, I challenged myself to embellish the next piece with tapestry beaded leaves:

This is much in the old Haskell style, not that I imagine myself to be an ace at working in that vein.....but I intend to perfect this technique and will continue to work on it and share it with you. More photos:

The key is to use fine wire...I used 28 gauge copper base gold plated wire....and to try to work tight so as little as possible shows.

I still need work, but I am not ashamed of this.

I did attach the leaves and other components with glue. Being true to form I would have determined placement before positioning, and drilled out the heart base so that it would be wired into place instead.

I will challenge myself to do that soon! This time, I had to get done....and to be sure, glue is quite secure so long as you have a solid technique and are not messy about it.

More pix:

I made a small pair of drops to go with the piece, which I will probably put up for sale soon. A pair of earrings, just simple ones, helps to sell a piece.

The back is the same as the previous piece. No I have not signed these yet. I will engrave my maker's mark on a tiny brass blank and antique it, then lacquer it....and glue it on the back.

Moving on to my last piece...

For this one I used our small necklace blank:

http://www.bsueboutiques.com/neck-base-raw-brass-3-20-inches-p/base02847.htm

THEN, I cut apart the leafy stamping and applying it to the sides of the blank, I centered the piece with the heart. The heart is topped with the central leaf from the swag.

Everything in this case was painted first, except the back..I will explain that later:

Then I tapestry beaded around the sides of the heart with seed beads and firepolished beads in shades of pink, adding bits of fine vintage pearl chain which were glued in place. A small ornament that was tapestry beaded was added, wired in place. Then bit by bit I added the other embellishments, including the rose montees.

Being true to form all the montees would be wired on, but E6000 glue is very secure and so long as one is neat is just as sturdy, so because of time I went with glue. One day soon I will challenge myself to take time for the wire and perfect the technique.

As you can see, this one has matching earrings, too.

The back was a quandary. I spray painted it with my same colors for the rest of this body of work to try and hide the bit of wire, it's okay but I need to think about this.....there was no way to do what I wanted to do without wrapping the wire around. Perhaps a better idea would be to do low profile seed beads around the back.

It's hard to see my engraved signature so I will re-do that and add a plaque.

On this one, I may procure some ultrasuede and just cover it.....I'll ruminate on that. All in all, this is very comfortable to wear and I love how it falls. I will probably sell it.

I very much enjoyed this excersize which will, hopefully, open a determined new door for me, one I have gone through in the past but a journey not completely taken. As I find new and better ways to embellish brass pieces in this style I will share the findings with you via blog posts, posts at the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group and in my You Tube free instruction videos, which you can access here:

https://www.youtube.com/user/bsueboutiques/videos

As always our website is B'sue Boutiques where you will find the good stuff for making jewelry in the vintage style, many brass stampings and vintage jewelry supplies for mixed media jewelry making!

If you are new to our site, use code NEWTOBSUE in the coupon box and get 5.00 off a small 30.00 order as well as a little welcome gift! Most folks who come see us love the site and come again! We hope you will.

If you are not new to B'sue, you should know we have been restocking like mad all week! If you need a bulk order be sure to take advantage of the TAKE20 code which will be good the rest of this week. It will give you 20% off an order 150.00 up and on TOP of that you will also get the standard 10% automatic discount for over 100 and FREE US SHIPPING too! AND.....substantial free gifts this week, as we celebrate our blog hop.

OKAY.....enough of that and of me! MANY OTHERS are participating and want you to come and visit their posts! Will you take time for that, possibly leaving them some encouraging words about their work? We'd sure appreciate that, and we ALL thank you for coming!

HERE IS THE LIST OF PARTICIPANTS:

Mary Deis

The Rose Sword

http://theroseswordmdeis.blogspot.com/

Jann Tague

Clever Designs

https://janntague.wordpress.com/

Lori Beekman

B.Accessorized

https://baccessorized.wordpress.com/

Renee Hong

Fine and Dandy Jewelry

http://www.fineanddandyjewelry.blogspot.com/

Cynthia Wainscott

Exotic Peru Jewelry

http://exoticperujewelry.blogspot.com/

Dana Hickey

Magpie Approved

http://magpieapproved.blogspot.com/

Mary Beth Quigley-Spiker

Q Settings

https://qsettings.wordpress.com/

Karen Eaton

KJewelry Creations

http://kjewelrycreations1.blogspot.com/

Shari Gardner

SLG Jewelry Designs

https://slgdesigns.wordpress.com/

Alison Huie

Ally's Baubles

http://allysbaubles.blogspot.com/

Pamela Anger

Novegatti Designs

http://www.novegattidesigns.blogspot.com/

Carole Carlson

Beadsophisticate

https://beadsophisticate.wordpress.com/

Cindy Peterson

Howling Dog Jewelry

https://howlingdogjewelry.wordpress.com/

Marcia Tuzzolino

Aurora Designs

http://auroradesignsjewelryblog.me/

Charlotte Smothers

Sea Horse Ranch Life

http://seahorseranch.blogspot.com/

Catherine Shattuck

Victorian Rose Boutique

https://vrbrose.wordpress.com/

Clare Wells Nemeth

Papercrafting Magic

http://papercraftingmagic.blogspot.com/

Erin Whitacre

Shattered Time

https://shatteredtimejewelry.wordpress.com/

Lynda O'Mara

Lomara Creative

http://www.lomaracreative.com/

Ginger Hammond

Lynn Leigh Designs

https://lynnleighdesigns.wordpress.com/

Ingrid Anderson

Lilis Gems Artisan Jewelry

https://lilisgems.wordpress.com/

Deb Beechy

Beetique

http://www.beetique56.blogspot.com

Harry Wood

Oscar Crow

http://oscarcrow.blogspot.com/

Delyssa Maxwell

Past Time Fancies

https://pasttimefancies.wordpress.com/

Paula Gaskill

Lovely Layla Bugs

http://lovelylaylabugjewels.weebly.com/blog

Irene Hoffman

Heart's Dezire by Irene

https://heartsdezirebyirene.wordpress.com/

Alexandra Sefton

Imaginary Jewelry and Altered Art

http://wilywolverine.blogspot.com/

Leslie Carver

Adorn Divine Designs

http://adorndivinedesigns.blogspot.com/

Posted at 09:49 PM in American Made Brass, Designer Finishes, Coupons and Contests, Encouraging Your Artistic Journey, Featuring Artists Whose Work I Admire, Mixed Media Technique, Style and Color | Permalink | Comments (31)

The Joys of Swellegant

This is Linda Lee's recent order from B'sue Boutiques All SWELLEGANT, and a parrot! Isn't he handsome?

OH.....and those are her freebies received with her order....we love sending freebs or discount coupons....or both!

Lately I've done some videos with Swellegant (a knock-out, simple patina system where you can patina anything!) on RESIN, PLASTIC PEARLS....and SEASHELLS!

and

Here are some resin flowers I did in the video:

And some shells and pearl cabs...

Here's a necklace made with some of the shells...

Used it on the locket, too.

Mary Beth Quigley-Spiker of Q has been sharing some collage photos of things she's been working on using Swellegant....

GORGEOUS STUFF. And then, she sent us some pix of different looks doing using different Swellegant products:

Yep, we carry this line proudly at B'sue Boutiques

Find it here on our website.....there's a fine stock of everything:

Swellegant Patina System at B'sue Boutiques

If you haven't tried it yet, come pick some up and start playing!

Posted at 07:04 PM in American Made Brass, Designer Finishes, Easy Peasy Projects, Encouraging Your Artistic Journey, Mixed Media Technique, Resinology | Permalink | Comments (3)

B'sue Boutiques July Jewelry Design Challenge: Beautiful Butterflies, Birds and Bugs

The theme for the July Challenge is Beautiful Butterflies, Birds and Bugs.

All jewelry design projects are a challenge, and many begin this way: first playing with components on a work surface, gathering more, trying this, then trying that.

It's even easier when you have a clear idea, a THEME, of what you want to do first. That's why we have our design challenges every month at B'sue Boutiques .....it can provide you with direction, impetus, new and better outside-the-box thinking.

Our B'sue Boutiques Design Team (find them here: http://www.bsueboutiques.com/Articles.asp?ID=289 ) now actually plans a path for all twelve months of the year. I'm now announcing three months ahead what the challenges will be at the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group so you can plan further.

It's also good for me a supplier, since I can check that list and be certain that we have the sorts of things you'll be wanting to go down that path with us!

TO PARTICIPATE: If you are not on the Creative Group, why not join us?

If that's not for you at this time, I'll be posting the themes here on this blog and you may view it as a personal challenge....see what YOU can come up with. Perhaps it will lead to you to a whole new line!

Susan Killam from Killam Creative participated in the BUILD A LINE CHALLENGE last winter, and her design line theme was built around a hummingbird stamping which she named Fancy:

Over the course of a few months (that challenge was a special one, apart from the monthly challenges) she formed a line all around Fancy:

Generally, though, you'll have more impetus as a maker/designer if you join a group who is involved in a similar effort, so my fond hope is that you WILL come and join us at Facebook. Post photos, bounce your ideas off the others, ask questions.

You may also post your photos at our Challenge Board at Pinterest:

B'sue Boutiques Creative Group Challenge Board

At the end of the month there is a random number generator drawing from among those who participated and pinned their work, and nice gift of goodies from B'sue Boutiques is sent out, wrapped up pretty and made very special.

For this challenge there are not a lot of rules.

Simply create a piece of jewelry---can be anything, earrings, bracelet, necklace, hair jewelry, brooch, or better still a set of jewelry---or for the ambitious, a small line of jewelry like Susan made!

Your piece must feature some goodies from the B'sue Boutiques website but you can mix them in with found items, things you already have, fiber, polymer clay, paper, metal bits, however it works out for you.

Put your heart in it if you can. Dig your heels in and tell yourself, I'm not doing this just to get something done....I'm doing this to find a new path, have a happy accident, discover something about myself or my abilities....GROW.

To get you started, I can't think of anything better than to just offer you a bunch of photos of great pieces created by members of the Group from our Galley of Inspiration that feature butterflies, bugs and birds!

From Judy Jones King of Apt to Wander (and a Design Team Member):

From Cynthia Wainscott, also a Design Team member, featuring a lovely dragonfly:

From Cindy Peterson, of Howling Dog Jewelry at Etsy, a prolific polymer clay and assemblage artist.....she's featured a colorized dragonfly cameo:

Harry Wood made this amazing OWL brooch some time ago, in fact there is even a tutorial on our website on how YOU can make one:

Steampunk Owl Tutorial by Harry Wood of Oscar Crow

Robin Taylor Delargy crafted this amazing chatelaine brooch (a favorite jewelry style of mine, that!) along with accompanying tac pin:

I made the following beetle brooch quite some time ago. It's fun yet the pretty vintage style still holds up nicely! We still carry the beetle stamping as well as many malleable brass flowers that you can form around and about it.

Cuffs will figure big in Fall Fashion, I've read. Here is a beautiful one of layered filigree made by Joan Williams of Lil Ruby at Etsy. What a great idea to cover the cuff with lace first! The butterfly and filigree are still available at B'sue Boutiques

Look closely at Joan's design and you will discover that she has etched the INSIDE of the cuff, too.

Your design can and should blend with other elements to make it pop. For those of us that design to sell, this will get your pieces out there and into collectors' hands sooner!

Look at how Cynthia Wainscott of Exotic Peru (and B'sue Design Team member) has done that with the addition of a little hummingbird charm inside a pie crust bezel surrounded by colorized maple leaves, all from B'sue Boutiques

It's an honor and a responsibility to be a handmade jewelry maker, and our challenges are designed to bring out the best of your abilities while using quality products combined with your own creativity.

They say that jewelry lines can no longer be profitable if made in the US. That is why almost all of the commercial lines we knew as quality are gone from US manufacture. They do not use quality US made product anymore, and the history as well as soul have gone out of them.

They have simply become throw-away jewelry, not jewelry that endures and can be collected, as the vintage lines were.

Our responsibility as handmade artists who design is to show this notion to be false. We use our ingenuity to make something with life and light inside it. Those who choose our jewelry will appreciate the difference between it, and something not grabbed off a rack in the mall.

Our pieces are our hearts and our energy, the best of our constantly-improving techniques. Make your pieces to last, use the GOOD STUFF to craft them, and be clever. There is still a fine market for quality handmade jewelry out there. Start with a great new design, give it everything you've got....

And see where the road takes you. You may surprise yourself this month when you meet the challenge! A new window may open for you!

Just like a bird, you may find yourself FLYING!

Posted at 10:34 AM in American Made Brass, Designer Finishes, Coupons and Contests, Encouraging Your Artistic Journey, Featuring Artists Whose Work I Admire, Managing Your Arts and Crafts-Related Business, Mixed Media Technique | Permalink | Comments (11)

June Brides....Will They Be Glam, Victorian, Boho or Steampunk?

That's me, forty years ago this coming Sunday.

I was a June bride, and a Victorian one at that. My dress was based on the one my Great-Grandmother had worn 75 years earlier. The biggest difference was that hers had leg of mutton sleeves that buttoned up to the elbow. It also buttoned all the way down the back.

My sleeves were short, but my dress DID button all the way down the back and had a short pull up train.....and I also wore a hat.

Hats were really popular in the early to mid-70's for bridal headpieces. Mom made the dress; I made the hat.

Whatever became of Grandma Agnes Brenneman's wedding dress is anyone's guess, but my Grandmother, Blanche Glotfelty, had a wonderful photo of Grandma in her wedding day attire. So, it was easy to copy the look from the picture.

This month at the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group we are doing a June bridal challenge. It's going to be so much fun because you can go in several different directions. The B'sue Boutiques Design Team chose this challenge and these are the selected design styles:

1. Glam.....pearls, silver, glitz, big, over the top, chunky. Make a big necklace and earrings or a statement bracelet with long chandelier drops.....or an effusive charm bracelet that can be converted into a necklace. Lots of bling....

I found some pictures at the B'sue Boutiques Gallery of Inspiration that might help you get a direction! Maybe you are busy designing jewelry for your wedding...

Or maybe you would like to join us in the challenge! Many artisans have a good following for their wedding jewelry. You may find that you can make a nice sideline to your jewelry design work with bridal jewelry as well!

This bracelet was made by Mocki Rangne of MockiDesign at Etsy. You could use all silver or mix it up even more.

This is a large collar assemblage I made some time ago with silverware findings and some repurposed crystal:

Patty Kruger made this large statement cuff which would be PERFECT for a glam bride:

Renee Webb Allen made this lovely floral assemblage, perfect for a glam June bride:

And another of my faves on the Gallery is this glitz and silver necklace made by Tara Wilson of LuluMax:

Take this design and go all white with it for a glam bride....I actually did this one for a mother of the bride many years ago:

This bracelet was made for my niece, Andrea's, wedding....and it is convertible to a necklace....

The next design style chosen was 2. Victorian.

Here are some inspiring photos for you to consider:

This is a delicate Shabby Whites style by Catherine Shattuck:

Just a demure touch of pink makes it perfect!

Don't you love this gorgeous bouquet bracelet made by Judy Jones King of Apt to Wander, also a member of the B'sue Boutiques Design Team?

She used our silverware luggage tag finding for the base on that one.

A modern Victorian style bride would love something sentimental in a message bracelet. This was made by Cynthia Wainscott of Exotic Peru, also a design team member.

Cherie Barnes of Cherie's Pottery does a beautiful job with brass colorization and filigree which she layers and manipulates. This sentimental design could carry a mother or a grandmother's photo.

Do it in whites with a little blush pink and a hint of silver or gold.

Another beautiful Victorian look is crafted bib-style by Marcia Tuzzolino of Aurora Designs from findings found at B'sue Boutiques

The flowers are polymer clay, and made by Marcia, who is also a Design Team member.

The following delicate, sentimental pieces are made by Pamela Anger and could easily be adapted for June brides....just change color! Also great for the wedding party attendants!

These are from Pam's Tre Rose line, which she perfected for the Build a Line Challenge a few months back. Pam hand-makes all the little polymer clay roses.

Find Pam at Novegatti Jewelry at Facebook.

Then we have 3. Boho:

Boho looks are decidedly retro hippie-chic with an aside to Art Nouveau design of the 20's. The dresses are long, loose and filmy, perfect for outdoor and beach weddings. The bride commonly wears a floral wreath as a headpiece and many times, ankle jewelry. Necklaces are layered and long. Here are some looks from our Gallery that might inspire you:

These earrings are colorized in pale pastels and pearl drops and are made from the handle part of one of our smaller brass spoon findings. They would work for a Victorian bride as well!

Cindy Cima Edwards made this long necklace with a cameo pendant.....which would work nicely for a Boho bride:

As you can see it was published in Jewelry Affaire magazine.

This was some easy fun I produced a few years back. It would be perfect for a Boho bride if you went with our antique silver bead and link chain, pearls and pearl button dangles, adding some little silverware charms to accent!

There are many ways to go with a style like the one I'm showing you, below. Do it all in silvers and whites with maybe just a HINT of blush color. Lengthen it for a Boho Bride.......shorten the length a bit for a Victorian bride. This is a design I've made many different ways in the last fifteen years since I began to play around with it and it's become a favorite of our group, too!

I thought Leila West's (Leila Nicole Design at Etsy) bracelets would be perfect not only for Boho brides but also for their attendants:

Boho design lovers love to layer bracelets.! So, think of other looks you could make to pair with pieces like these, and wear multiples.

These charm bracelets made on our skinny bangle with 20 ga Beadsmith wire and random charms would be great for the Boho bride!

Here is video on how you can do it:

At last we have 4. Steampunk:

The Steampunk style gives a wide berth for creativity as both the bride AND the groom wear jewelry.

Here's a great design from Robin Taylor Delargy:

For a groom OR a bride!

Renee Byrd of Designs Bloom crafted this layered statement cuff:

I made the piece in the photo below, it was easy to craft:

Linzi Alford of Magpie in the Sky will very soon be a bride, herself! Check out this great looking set of jewelry that she made a little while back from B'sue products:

Beautifully crafted in sparkling silverware and crystal bling....and definitely Steampunk-inspired!

Another showy piece from Cherie Barnes of Cherie's Pottery could be Steampunk OR Boho. Just go with silvers, pale golds or shabby white colorization of the brass, for your bride:

I hope you enjoyed our little show of inspirational pieces and that they've given you some great new ideas.

If you need more ideas, simply visit the Gallery of Inspiration

There are almost 900 photos there of amazing work done by users of B'sue Boutiques products and members of the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group.

By the way....

If you have not yet joined the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group please consider this your personal invitation.

We are a large, welcoming group of mixed media jewelry designers but we also bead, do metalwork, wire jewelry, and polymer clay! I actively promote great work that has employed products from our large website, B'sue Boutiques

You do NOT have to be using our products to join or share in the fun.

Some folks find this sort of work new and may feel they need to observe for a bit. No problem!

We have monthly challenges, weekly events and on **Mondays**, you may also post assemblage pieces like decorated frames, candles, altered bottles, bridal bouquets made of jewelry, decorated purses and lunch boxes, etc.

There are lots of surprises and gifts for participation.

You owe it to yourself to check it out....and share the news with your creative friends!