For many reasons, my life is stressful "all by itself with nothing extra". LOL But lately....minor and major irritants abound.
Last week we had to re-do our well. There's the backhoe in all its glory. What you don't see are the three tough-looking guys just behind it---working with all their might to bust the pump loose. It had burnt up and was somehow fried to the casing a few feet down. So that's why they had to excavate.
Just got everything put back in order, but Thursday night they called for high winds, lots of lightning. They weren't kidding. What a mess! Electric lines down all over town, the highway and most of the way to New Springfield, a neighboring town. I got to sleep in pitch black dark for most of two nights.
There was all of that and yet more bad business last week, a great deal of worry. I wanted to just curl up in a ball and stay that way. But--I had good light through my bedroom window so I grabbed the bowls from our new bead mixes and got busy. Why should I let a bad week take my joy? Time to control my thinking, turn that negative energy around.
I used two of our new bead mixes, Vintage Japanese Silver Pearl, and Black Velvet.
Still have to put a drop of glue on the stretch cord (bracelets) and trim. Those I'm keeping...but will sell the necklaces.
Later on, Jordan came and took me to his house for awhile. My son is an avid guitar enthusiast and a good player, too. He likes to buy/sell/trade as a little side hustle. ! was surprised at all his newest 'finds' and he let me play one of his acoustic guitars for a little bit.
Jordan and Lauren have two cute cats, Katniss and Finnick.
Katniss.
Finnick.
The point is, there's always something positive you can do to overcome negative thinking. It can be hard. When 'stuff' happens in life, everyone needs a little time to process. But why allow negative self-talk to overcome you? Do you deserve that? NO.
I've felt like, why make anything, no one is going to buy it anyway. Well, if you don't make it and list it, how do you know?
And really, I've sold thousands of pieces of jewelry in my life....so why should I believe what I'm telling myself? It's a lie.
A lot of people over the years tell me I've made a difference in their lives, that I've been the bright spot, that I'm the one who always has a new idea. What a compliment! Thank you for letting me know. It makes me want to try harder! But you can do something for 'me' in return...
Stare the stress down and get busy again. Blow off the funk. When people do THAT all those videos I've made were not for nothing. Sometimes the negative self-talk makes me think they were....worthless. That's a lie, too.
But seeing you get busy again and CREATE will SHOW me and every other producer of creative content, it was worth it.
And it will do even more, for your own self-worth. Sure, it might be hard--but you can do it!
Today, the world is turning so fast, our heads spin!
This is a scene from MODERN TIMES when the Little Tramp tries to deal with the new technology of his time. At first it seemed like fun!
Everyone longs to have a job they love! Isn't that why we became jewelry makers?
In time, though....for many of us, it became overwhelming. We did not realize the planning we should have done as we learned our craft. We did not know there was so MUCH planning to do or so much to learn!
Some of us have felt a great deal of anxiety when things weren't going smoothly, or when one of the crazy algorhythms of business life suddenly changed. We may be artisan designers, but we are also required to be business people. Some of us have a head for it, and some of us don't.
In the movie, the Little Tramp nearly had a nervous breakdown!
Do you remember that heady rush you felt when you sold your first pieces of jewelry?
I can remember some of the first crafts shows I did with my own jewelry. People were buying it left and right and I was stuffing money into my pockets. It was SUCH sweet validation!
I never expected that kind of acceptance, right at the beginning. It truly stoked the fire inside me, so I kept makering away and I did more and more shows. Reality quickly came calling. It was not long before I came to understand that not all shows were the same. It would take time to find the really great ones.
You had to hang in there with it!
Being quite honest, at times I felt like the Little Tramp, careening about, blindfolded, on roller skates.....about to have a terrific crash.
Or maybe, an amazing success! That's it! YOU JUST NEVER KNOW.
I have gotten really down about my business many times over the years, but I must say: I always kept the rollerskates on. Nothing would happen if I did not continue to try and work things out.
Perhaps you know the song, SMILE? It is certainly part of the Great American Songbook, a consummate classic. Its sentiment is encouraging and the melody is beautiful.
Smile, though your heart is breaking,
Smile, even though it's aching,
When there's a cloud in the sky, you'll get by...
If you smile through your fears and sorrow, Smile, and maybe tomorrow,
You'll see the sun come shining through....for you....
Light up your face with gladness,
Hide every trace of sadness,
although a tear may be ever so near,
That's the time you must keep on trying,
Smile....what's the use of crying?
You'll see the sun come shining through....if you
Just Smile.
This song was written for the soundtrack of MODERN TIMES by Charles Chaplin. The melody was inspired by the famous Puccini aria, Vissi d'Arte, from Tosca. If you listen to the aria, you will quickly hear how the motif was 'sampled'.
Here it is as performed by Leontyne Price....it comes just after the beginning recitative. It is very slow and muted with all the orchestration, but it is there:
The song SMILE is heard at the final scene of MODERN TIMES.
There were no words for SMILE until 1954 when a team of lyricists created two verses. Nat King Cole took the song that year and had a crazy hit with it!
Through the years it has been covered by many, many artists: Natalie Cole, Jimmy Durante, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Michael Jackson (it was reported to be his favorite song) Josh Groban, Barbra Streisand, Martina McBride....to name just a few.
Here and there I like to meet a personal challenge.
A few months ago I challenged myself to make an entirely Spanish-language video with the help of my friend, Joisse. The video was not very well received; I think those who like to watch me in English were put off somewhat that they could not understand what we were saying.
It was difficult for me to stick my neck out like that and risk being a fool....but nothing ventured, nothing gained. That's the thing, whether you are learning/speaking a language as an outsider, OR finding your way as a jewelry designer, OR any other worthy endeavor...you MUST be willing to look foolish here and there. Those who appreciate your efforts will prompt you and catch you if you begin to fall, if you are genuine and humble. That is what Joisse did for me in that video.
Tomorrow I am taking another personal challenge.
Here and there, we attend a little family night with 50-60 friends. Everyone brings something good to eat and we share a meal. After that, we have a little talent show. This time, everyone wanted me to do something, as I have not done anything for some time. After all, years past, there was NEVER a talent show where I didn't write and play a little song on the piano, or do a funny skit, dressed up in a ridiculous outfit, singing an equally ridiculous song.
Here I am in the wig I had saved from one of those skits:
This time, my friends want me to sing. I used to be a pretty good singer, I was singing all the time, and I loved to sing all types of music from bluegrass to Italian art songs. As I grew older, I let it go: I was busy doing other things, also I had a serious of operations that caused me to lose core strength. SO! Sadly, that part of my life is pretty much over. I was okay with it, as I got very busy with helping other artisans and providing vintage style jewelry supplies at B'sue Boutiques
My son Jordan said, "Mom, we can do it! You are so used to doing the You Tube videos. Just look at them and do what you can, and speak it like Johnny Cash, if you have to." Johnny Cash? Now there's a concept, LOL.
SMILE was originally written in the key of G. Jordan and I played around with it and I discovered that if he would change the key to B flat, I could manage it. Then he suggested we do a guitar break after the second verse, then come back and sing that last part again, modulating the key of the song up to C. When you change the key at the last verse or portion of a song, I always think it sounds hopeful. Sort of like that sun shining through!
Jordan created a beautiful arrangement for me and he will play the guitar. He is a very good guitarist.
So! Tomorrow I will take that challenge, and no, I don't think it will be recorded. But I am looking forward to it. I like to push the ticket! It's about keeping those skates on, moving along and trying something new. There is always a new horizon to discover, but we will never find it, if we don't try.
I wish you many new discoveries and beautiful new horizons in all of your creative endeavors.
There are times when we all find ourselves retreating to some lovely green place, in our memories. Sometimes the memories are sweet, and others are bittersweet. Still others, just are what they are. Life passes quickly.
Beyond that line of trees in the photo, only detectable to those who know this place, is a spot that once was my grandmother's garden. She was always to be found there. In my lovely green place where time does not pass, I can close my eyes and see her there, picking the green beans for supper, or pulling out weeds. Yes, her garden was her happy place, and it makes me happy to remember that way.
It was another time.....a time in my life when there was far less hurry and far more time for reverie.
They say there was once a part of the old Nemacolin Trail in that field behind the horses in the foreground. That's what Grandaddy said, anyway! He hung the moon for me, so I believed anything he said. Nowadays we sometimes laugh and remember things he said, and call them "Naylorisms". His name was Naylor and he had his own spin on facts. I know that, now. But I do feel this information was probably correct.
The Nemacolin Trail was developed from an old Native American trail. Found in the Southern Allegheny Mountians, it traverses land not far from the point where Pennsylvania reaches Maryland. Later, the trail was improved by George Washington and Edward Braddock and other engineers of the National Road, which is old Route 40.
My grandaddy's farm nestled directly between the old National Road, and newer Route 40 where it cuts through the back acreage of his farm. We would walk across Route 40 and pick blackberries along the fence and call out to the cows in the pasture, just as he did, in Pennsylvania Dutch. He always called the cattle in Pennsylvania Dutch.....for some reason. I may never know why, in fact, I'm not sure I realized it was Pennsylvania Dutch until later in my life. But, that's what he did.
My best souvenir from those days is Daisy's cow bell. Daisy was the lead cow who brought the other cows home to the barn when he called them. When he called, she would raise her head up a bit and move it back and forth a little, and she would head for the barn door, as if to say, "Okay, troops, the party's over, time to go home."
Grandaddy really loved that cow, odd for a man who had been a farmer all his life, a farmer who felt that animals had their purpose. He gave them a wonderful life on his farm, but he didn't get attached to any of them. Except Daisy.
I was up in the barn with him about 35 years ago, and I saw the old bell. I liked it because it was a country primitive and at that time, I loved prims. He told me I could have it, but that I needed to take care of it for him....because it was Daisy's bell. Today, it hangs on my back door from several layers of sari ribbon tied in a bow, in lieu of a doorbell. Daisy's cow bell still rings to announce a visitor.
Souvenirs can be those green memories, or they can be boxes full of photographs. Like Daisy's cow bell, they might be bits and pieces from our lives, or a someone else's life lived long ago, handed down to us. These souvenirs are my most precious possessions.
Roselawn Farm is among my souvenirs, nestled forever in my 'happy green place'. That is the place where I am a child again, helping Grammy in the kitchen and running across the gravel drive to Great-Grandma Cora's stone house, to see what she was doing....then up to the barn to check out the chickens in the big chicken house. No one can take those souvenirs away.
When these memories come, often times the sound track rolling through my head is Connie Francis singing that old chestnut, "Among My Souvenirs". If you don't know it....
A lovely song, but are you depressed yet? A bit maudlin, don't you think? Yet that's the song I hear in my head! Thank goodness, it is not what I feel. My souvenirs are wonderful things, slices of my life that I would not give up for any sort of money. Memories, photographs...... bits and pieces. I love to be the keeper of the 'bits and pieces'.
Here is a memory that always makes me smile. When I look at it, I am back in the mid 60's, watching late night television on Cleveland (Ohio) channel 8.....at 11:35 on Friday nights.
If you wanted to be cool in school, you didn't want to miss the Ghoulardi show. Ghoulardi was played by Ernie Anderson. The show was primitive and crude, a bit like Ernie himself. He totally pushed the ticket for the time. Ghoulardi memorabilia was sold in a number of places back then, but none so much as the Manner's restaurants in the greater Cleveland area. Today those mementos are highly collected hereabouts by baby boomers who were fans of the show. I wanted the special milkshake glass that the poster below, describes. I wanted one back then, but I never got one; we didn't go to Cleveland often.
I wouldn't mind having one now, but I don't want a cheap repro, I want a real one. Sadly, a REAL one costs. Sigh. So, in lieu of that milkshake glass, I've settled for this well-worn poster, which I have in my outer office just behind the door with Daisy's cowbell. It really doesn't belong there, but I ask you....WHERE would such a thing belong, anyway?
What can I say? It just takes me back to a green place that makes me smile.
The sign is even green!
I will never forget the experience of having my own shop. More green memories.
We were using the back of the shop for business; the front was being prepared as a place to sell jewelry and 'cute stuff'. My wall of doors, the separator between the front and back of the shop, was just being planned and built, here. We took seven old doors and hinged them together, painted them mint green, distressed and decoupaged and stamped them. OH! how I wanted to bring them home when I left the shop, but we would never have had a place for them. So I sold it back as artwork to the antiques dealer I first purchased the doors from.....for far too little.
We bought a great deal of vintage furniture from the lady who owned the building. I loved the old depression dressers!
But....they had to go, too, when we left the place. We were there for three years. Most of the memories of being at the shop are in a very green place in my memory. I'm not gonna lie, there are some very anxious memories from that place, too. Well, those things are over, now. So I choose to remember the good, green memories. Selective memories.....souvenirs.
When we were selling the shop out, I had so much STUFF we had accumulated in only 3 years. I sold a great deal of it off by Muse Package. Maybe you will remember those? For 100.00 I would pack as many tchochkes from the store as I could jam into a medium sized shipping box. People got gift shop merchandise, small displays, jewelry, linens, old buttons and stuff to make jewelry as well as a lot of great collector's books. Everyone was so happy and I had a good time packing them. Green memories. I think we sold 40 of them.
This necklace is a green memory. It is the bridal bracelet I made for my niece, Andrea. The bracelet would convert into a necklace. She looked beautiful that day and I was so happy to make the jewelry for her. Everything on it, she picked out, herself.
What can I say......
I'm a sentimental fool. I'm fairly sure that's why I have such an attachment to the 1928 Jewelry Company these days, its history and its jewelry....my sentimental heart. I know I am not alone in feeling that way. Theirs is jewelry that truly will be found among the souvenirs of many people.
I've gotten to do so many meaningful things this last year or so. One was to work on 'reprise' pieces of jewelry, in other words, jewelry that 1928 made long ago, but had not been made again for many years.
The first time I visited their factory in Burbank, California, Mel Bernie, owner of the company, brought out a curious little black box of very, very old souvenirs....pretty bits that had been collected up by he himself or the designers that worked for him years ago. In that box was this little silver pill bottle. As you can see it is quite old. My guess is that it is mid-Victorian (about 1839-1865 area, depending on who you ask for the historical dates of that period).
To give you a better idea of the pill bottle's circa date and purpose, I am including a photo of a complete mid-Victorian chatelaine. Look closely.....the pill bottle is right there. It has a different pattern, but it's the same size and same design type as the little bottle from the 1928 'black box'.
The things in that box were collected up for a reason. Many of the little treasures squirreled away were used to make models for actual pieces that were sold in the 1928 line. As you can see below, this was certainly true of this historic little piece. Somewhere around 1980 they cast a model of the pill bottle and made this necklace for a short time. The model is still out in the archives. Mel and I talked about making it for the B'sue by 1928 line, but it didn't cost out right. It just made more sense to reprise it.....so he did. He made it for me to sell to 1928 fans who wanted souvenirs, as well....collector pieces.
We had it in silver, and also gold. We STILL have a few silver ones left! Find them here:
All are made with the original 1928 Jewelry Company barrel clasp that you might remember. Same scroll chain, too. After my last pill bottle necklace 'souvenir' sells down, I don't think we will be making more. They are very special.
As for me, among my souvenirs are both a silver and a gold pill bottle 1928 reprise necklace, but also the original sterling pill bottle that undoubtedly dropped from an old chatelaine 150-160 years ago, in Europe. The very one you see in the photograph, here.
Most of the things in the 1928 keepsake black box came from Europe, as the designers would travel there for treasures to mold into jewelry that others could still enjoy. I bought this piece for super-safe keeping. I have the black box with me for the time being, as well, while I continue to work on writing the book. It is an honor to have it for the time being.
But! Now, let me tell you about this ratty plastic suitcase. It is the ULTIMATE 1928 souvenir; there is only one in the world, it cannot be reprised and it cannot be purchased.
This pitiful little case is where it all started. This is the briefcase that Mel used to display his mod watches when he first hit the bricks to try and sell back in about 67-68. You can see the tape on the inside of the lid of the case. He used to tape them there as samples, and then put the ones for sale in the bottom. I can only imagine what it looked like the day he set out for the first time, to sell them to stores. He didn't know a thing about jewelry and the only thing he knew about watches is that they were supposed to keep time and sometimes, he wore one.
A while ago, I asked him if he still had it, and the reply was, "I think so." A couple of weeks back, I got this photo in my email with the subject header "this is where it all started."
I dared boldly to ask him if it could be sent to me so that I could get some pictures for the book, etc. I promised to take great care of it and return it all wrapped in bubble and tissue wrap.
The first response was yes, sure, he would send it. Then, he wrote and said....."You don't need to send it back."
I still hardly know what to say, except to think about this fellow as a young man and the whirlwind that he started that day, venturing out with those watches. He was stalwart, wouldn't take no for answer. For me, this souvenir says, if you want something bad enough, you can probably have it if you work hard and find yourself in the right place at the right time.
Wow. There is still so much to learn about this company. The more I dig, the more layers there are. But, soon Mel Bernie's original selling case will be among my souvenirs.
I'll take care of it for him, just as I am taking care of Daisy's cow bell, for Grandaddy.
It's been the thrill of a lifetime to get to explore the vintage archives at 1928 Jewelry Company. Not only was I allowed to spend days studying over their library of over 35,000 castings....but now, we are working on exploring all the old catalogs, samples, recipe boards of finished goods. That would be, finished jewelry the company released long ago, or old prototype models that just never got into production.
Ingrid Anderson is a jewelry artist who also loves to collect 1928 jewelry. She is privileged to own quite a few rather rare pieces. The beautiful heart-shaped magnifying glass in the photo above is part of her collection and the photo is also hers. From this photo, Mr. Bernie and his assistants at the company were able to locate the mold and reprise the necklace just exactly as it was originally made. This allowed me the privilege of being able to offer it again as a very limited edition piece.
(I sold quite a few of the magnifying necklaces from the reprise run, but I do still have several left in stock. They are 68.00 each)
We are currently reserving custom made necklaces made from another wonderful old casting. The mold goes back to very early times for the company; on my very first visit to the factory in Burbank, California, I had the opportunity to 'discover' it. Intrigued, I asked Mr. Bernie for a price so that maybe, we could put it into the B'sue by 1928 line.
Here is a shot of the original mold, just as I found it:
Here is a collage of photos of the finished piece:
Because of the way the stone has to be mounted into the mold, we felt it just was not going to work for B'sue by 1928. The artisan plater that I use would not be able to apply our special finishes correctly to make it a good fit for the line.
As a result, we decided to release it as it was originally made back in the day--- complete with barrel clasp and tag, just like all the older 1928 pieces. Just the same, this time, we shortened the chain to 26 inches so that it could be a great layering piece. It just looks better on a bit shorter chain! (Original was 30 inches.)
If you wonder what the original looked like, it is in the collage above in the lower right section. Again, this piece belongs to Ingrid Anderson. The original was antique gold finish with an opaque black glass stone.
Since we were changing it up a little bit for this piece, we decided to really customize the pieces. We offer antique gold OR antique silver finish. You can have it in the black stone, or a crystal, see through stone. We also offering it in several vintage glass moonstones: amethyst, pink, green, blue or white pearl moonstone. The customer may choose plating shade as well as stone!
So far the best seller is silver finish with white pearl moonstone! After that, gold with white pearl moonstone, and then silver with the amethyst. And the price is NICE. 39.95---PPD in the US! If you miss the pre-sale reservation, not to worry, I am getting some extras for my stock.
Another piece that Mr. Bernie reprised for me in very limited edition was this spinner.....and there's a nifty little story to go with it!
My friend Ellen Gonchar sent me a photo of a piece that she suspected was 1928. She was bidding on it at auction and wondered what I thought. She sent me quite a few photos of it, and I felt very confident that indeed, it WAS an vintage 1928 piece.
So I shot the photo over to the factory by email. Mr. Bernie said, "No, Brenda, I do not think we made that!"
But I had the evidence!
He and his assistants searched all morning to find the mold. His secretary stayed in contact with me all the time to report progress. He couldn't remember the piece at ALL....but he WAS going to find that mold by hook or by crook!
And THAT, he surely did! He still could not remember it ever being in the line, and they had nothing on it. So, the guess was that it may have been a prototype piece that never did go beyond samples. Nonetheless, triumphant, Mr. Bernie made me a short run of them in the original gold and also in silver. When I released them on my Facebook page, my allotment sold out in literally hours.....
As did this nifty little pill bottle necklace:
The initial run that I had was quite large, so was quite relieved to sell over 80 of them the first couple of days on Facebook. I did so well that I got a second run, and we still have some in stock in silver at 38.00 plus a tiny shipping charge.
The original was shared with me the first time I went out to the factory, last summer. I couldn't forget about it! In fact, I discovered that it, itself had been copied from a very old mid-Victorian silver chatelaine:
Yep, there it is, same exact thing, except the one made by 1928 had a much more ornate pattern.
When I went out again last winter, we started making plans to get busy ferreting out the old archived pieces. The pill bottle was, I think, our first reprise. Originally, I wanted the bottle for B'sue by 1928, but it just didn't work out right to put it in that line. I sure didn't have them long when they finally came in from California.
We have done so many pretty pieces since then.....here's a little picture show for you!
The perfume pendant above was so much fun! I was just out there visiting again May, and that's when I saw it!
Mr. Bernie said he would make it again for me, if I would go out into the factory and find the right decal. Well, that was something I actually knew where to go, and get it for him. As soon as I came home, we did the pre-sale. It took about five weeks to get them, but the work to make this hollow vial was intense. Casting filigree so intricately as this is quite an art.
Everyone that got one agreed, it was worth the wait!
Here is the mold for that piece:
The purse locket below was in the 1928 line for a long time, but it is being re-made as a short run for B'sue Boutiques again:
I also had him try the stamps locket that is currently in the ANTIQUITIES COUTURE line, in silver. Normally it is only found in gold.
I still have a very few of these in stock as well.
Some that we are currently or will soon be working on:
This perfume pendant was a beautiful gift from another collector and jewelry artist, Suzanne Valeriano:
Here is the mold for it!
We will also be working on this book locket:
One that was just recently finished:
These, I have in stock in limited amounts.....mostly silver, some gold and a few in rose gold. The top of the heart pops up to open the locket! Very unique! They are 42.00 each.
And there are so many more....a seahorse magnifier is in production right now and my sample should be coming in soon. There is a fabulous Art Nouveau pendant locket to do, it's one that also was in Ingrid's collection. There is almost not a day gone by that we are not talking about bringing certain old pieces back in limited editions, just to see what happens...or working on revamping an old design. Mr. Bernie likes to share his current projects with me, too.
It won't be long now til my next trip to the 1928 Jewelry Company in September. I'll be there for a week. For two of the days, I will be joined by ten inquiring minds, students, colleagues and customers....all who love the company. We will be allowed to use the conference room there to conduct a master seminar. There will be some spirited and lively discussions!
Don't worry....We will take LOTS of pictures! And if I don't get worn out by the excitement of that, I'll be back checking the archives for new ideas and experimenting with a few new ideas that we have been discussing during the rest of my stay. We might work on learning to etch glass for one of the ideas...but who knows where that will go.
For sure, it will be FUN!
If you are interested in any of the items in this blog post, you can contact me by calling 1-800-868-4393 9-5 Mon-Sat and 2-9pm Sundays, or at my Facebook page for B'sue by 1928: https://www.facebook.com/bsueby1928/
There's a line from the song, "Happy Talk", which is part of the score of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical SOUTH PACIFIC. It goes something like this:
"Happy Talk, keep talkin' happy talk,
Talk about things you'd like to do,
You got to have a dream,
If you don't have a dream...
How you gonna have a dream come true?"
Allison Murray has a dream.
She is the designer of Bordeaux and Pearl Jewelry. It's an artisan line that has a great deal of heart and lots of vintage elements. Much of what is presented can be mixed and matched. The components used are culled from U.S. jewelry making history, parts also employed in many of the golden-age lines made in the Victorian Revival period of the 50's. As you can see, the work is assemblage. It has a hint of the old Miriam Haskell look with a twist of Hattie Carnegie and modern repurpose on the side.
Many, just like Allison, dream of becoming jewelry designers. Often they start out on an incredible high, but it's inevitable, there will be obstacles to overcome. Some will really hit a wall. Hitting that wall too many times can kill a dream.
Why does something so much fun, something they love to do so much, all of a sudden become so difficult for newer jewelry designers?
There are many reasons.
For one, it's common to loose viable opportunities due to not having enough components on hand. It also might be that their work is too much one of a kind, custom work. Their prices might be too high or even too low for the market. There may be a failure to completely identify the target customer. Maybe what is being made is dated work, too fussy, much to be admired but not what customers want to buy. Or, perhaps the craftsmanship is not consistent and the artist is frustrated by having returns caused by issues with skill level, or even components.
Allison is working hard on her dream. Right now she is in that spot where she's learning new techniques and experimenting with many ideas. Each demi-line of jewelry or parure that she makes, shows more thought and more skill than the one before it. She is working hard at presentation, photography, and knowing her target customer well. If she keeps that up, and continues to work hard on her brand through all the glitches, she just may arrive at her destination. Her dream of being a self-supporting artist or a jewelry designer with her own company might just come true.
I felt the same way back in the 90's when as a fluke and maybe a little natural talent, I created a jewelry line quite by chance, and it worked. In a few years we had 500 wholesale accounts and the line was 300 styles deep. Yet, within a decade, it had run its course....as many small lines do.
Why?
I didn't have a good plan. The line didn't change as trends changed, so it lagged behind. I had trouble having enough inventory on hand to ship quickly, and trouble hiring enough competent help. My line was hard to make, so it was hard to train people to make it the same way I did. Eventually, I threw in the towel. I had had enough. I have no regrets because I learned so much for having the experience. Still, I have to be honest: I jumped in madly with no mission, no view of what I wanted of the future, no knowledge of the trade. It's amazing that it worked for me at all, actually!
My friend, Mel Bernie, owns the 1928 Jewelry Company. Back in the late 60's, not long out of the service, he decided his vocation would be to create and sell jewelry to small chains of retail stores. From what he could see, it didn't look like it would be so hard! So, he saved up from his day job of selling watches so that he could buy some basic tools and manufacturing equipment, and then he tried to teach himself to use it in his garage. He had great ideas, but bringing the great ideas out to the public in a sophisticated way was going to take more expertise than he could quickly learn. He really didn't know how to make jewelry.
Since his dream was to go BIG, he needed to surround himself with competent, knowledgeable, highly-trained jewelry makers who could not only help him make his dream come true, but teach him how to make jewelry in the process. Mel was now on a mission and would not quit until he found the right people.
Well, he found them. In a very few years, the company catapulted to huge success, selling their lines to the buyers of every major department store around the world. And....many of the people who are working today at 1928, have been with him for years.
On the right is Pia, who has been designing for 1928 since the very beginning. She has designed many of the 1928 pieces that you have collected and loved. And yes, that guy next to her is Mel. We were out having Thai food. Pia is an expert on Thai food, as she originally comes from Thailand.
Here I am in the factory at 1928 with my friends, Rene, who is the factory manager for many years, and Oscar, who came to 1928 a long time ago after having trained as a goldsmith. He knows well how to cast gold and other precious metals, but he is amazing at spin casting the proprietary blend of pewter that 1928 uses to make their products.
The guys explained to me that the 1928 pewter blend flows exceedingly well and contains a bit of silver. The best lead free pewter blends do! Their expertise as well as this special pewter blend is why 1928 is able to cast intricate filigree like no other company can.
Check this out and you'll see what I mean:
This is a very special vintage piece, a locket, from their castings archive. A few of you may even own one!
Every creative or business journey has its ups and downs....there are always highs and lows! But when many US companies have failed or pulled the plug on their enterprises, Mel Bernie's continues. 1928 is still known as one of the largest costume jewelry makers in the United States. They have not only made their own lines, but they have made jewelry for many other companies as well, under private contract.
There has ALWAYS been a plan at 1928. Since I've become friends with Mel and some of the great folks who work with him day in and day out, I've learned a great deal about working "smarter, not harder" in the jewelry business. Here is Mel meeting with some of his designers, working out a few bugs on a new line for New York Market Week:
I got to be the proverbial 'fly on the wall', listening to them and even having a tiny part in the conversation that day.
The line they were working on did not have lots and lots of pieces. It was pulled together just right, with a certain type of customer in mind. Everything about it was costed out to perfection so that it could be wholesaled to department stores and still allow the company to make a profit.
When they decide to put a piece into a line at 1928 Jewelry Company, the piece is sketched in such a way that every component is obvious. There is NOTHING that is casual about it. Every casting that is needed for the piece is referenced. The designers must come out into the large archive of over 35,000 molds owned by the company, and find the part number for every last piece used in that style. They made need to consult with Rene and Oscar or the mold maker, Herman, to see if the mold just right to do the job and if there is anything impractical about using it in the design. All the other components must also be referenced so that they can be sure they have enough to make hundreds, if not thousands of pieces of the style. If they don't have enough, it must be ordered immediately.
Then: every component is counted, down to the last jump ring. Quality is number one; only the pieces that truly work for the design and that are durable are used. It's been done this way, from day one. Every piece in the style must be referenced, costed, and then, the entire design costed out, including the cost to plate the pewter. It all has to work, or they cannot put it in the line.
Do you approach your design work this way? Yes, I know, it doesn't sound like tons of fun! Who wants to do all that dull planning? But if you do not have your information at hand when you work your dream and design a line, you could make little profit or even lose your shirt! Or, you might be caught short right in the middle of a huge order, where you have a strict deadline.
I said I would never design a line again. I had had the experience and was very glad for it. I was content to share what I learned about having done it with others. For a lark, though, I did it in miniature for my yearly Build a Line business class last year. The initial plan for the line and its sublines made a great deal of sense and everyone loved it. I even seriously considered going ahead with it:
I decided to call the line Sugar Shop Jewelry. I even purchased the online domain for that name and I began to think about creating a dedicated website so that I could sell it. The photo above was when I was in the planning stages of the first part of the line, which was going to be done in segments. This segment was to be called Chocolate Frosting.
Why didn't I refine and simplify the line, cost it out properly and keep going?
Well, my 'day job' is running B'sue Boutiques which is a small jewelry supply company where we sell very unique things and have been doing it online since 1997. It takes most of my day to manage it! Part of managing B'sue Boutiques is providing a great deal of support to new to intermediate jewelry makers who are working hard to work and live their dreams. They need quality findings and they trust me to provide them.
These days you cannot have a supply company without providing strong support. In these days of strong competition and burgeoning social media, it can be quite a juggling act!
Another blow to progress on Sugar Shop Jewelry was that the choxie finish on the brass I was using suddenly became inconsistent. Apparently there have been some changes on what chemicals may be used for plating in the US. A crucial part of the plating 'blend' became unavailable. So, I couldn't get the chocolate ox finish to match, batch to batch. Not good.
Lastly, I was offered another opportunity that I felt was much better for me and for my customers. Mel Bernie asked me if I would consider pewter and have my own proprietary castings made for B'sue Boutiques. I would also be permitted to curate part of the line from their castings archive.....and I would be allowed to put my own designer finishes on them.
Two factors here were extremely unique: first, pieces and parts made for 1928 Jewelry have never been released to the creative marketplace. It was never considered to allow artisans take their specially-designed pewter and use it to make their own jewelry. Second, 1928 would never put my custom finishes on their lines. These finishes are by plan very funky and geared to current trend in the crafts industry. They wouldn't work for most department store buyers.
Since last fall I have been working very hard on this line, which is called B'sue by 1928. The name of this venture includes the 1928 logo because it IS 1928. At the same time, it is my B'sue line, totally B'sue Boutiques, echoing my roots in the vintage jewelry trade and everything I personally love about designing jewelry. I curate the collection based on my knowledge of selling components for parts of three decades. It is a high-end designer line of unique components like no other.
We got our first batch of samples back from the finisher at the end of November:
By the end of December we had nearly 30 styles and were ready to launch. The line has done very well ever since. In fact, it was just on the back inside cover of the current BELLE ARMOIRE magazine:
The editor of the magazine liked it so much, she gave it a full page "Editor's Picks" review:
They said such nice things about B'sue Boutiques and the 1928 Jewelry Company, too!
I am still pinching myself that Mel not only invited me to test the waters with pewter findings this way, but he allowed me to be called, in part, by the 1928 name. He gave permission to use their logo known all around the world, melded with my own, to establish a brand.
The line I created in the 90's was a dream that came true out of nowhere. By all rights, it should never have succeeded at all, because there was no adequate planning. For my B'sue by 1928 components line, the game has changed. All I do is plan!
What's coming down the road for The 1928 Jewelry Company?
Well, I think their catch phrase says it all: Then. Now. Forever.
As the company reaches out to its public through its website, 1928.com more and more people will be able to enjoy new designs as well as the timeless ones they have always loved. When you visit their website, be sure to click on the top drop-down boxes and see how many lines there are.
Each line has that unforgettable 1928 look that we know and love. Everything is well planned and beautifully designed and crafted. Much of the work is done by hand! Nothing has happened by accident. It's classic and will never go out of style.
Well, there are certainly no plans to try to corner the market, not now, anyway. For now there is more need to observe what happens and how people use the components. I need to be thinking of new ways we can use them. It's about enjoying the journey and presenting constantly via our You Tube channel: B'sue Boutiques at You Tube
We hope to partner with other artists who successfully submit to quality craft magazines, or who have a proprietary line that would blend with this one, being ambassadors for each others' lines. We will continue to advertise in print in BELLE ARMOIRE as well as JEWELRY AFFAIRE, both being jewelry crafts magazines produced by the Stampington Publishing Company.
Perhaps down the road we'll will do a little wholesaling, but we are not ready for that or for distribution, now. I don't think we will be, for awhile. I'm still building the line. In a few weeks what we have to offer will more than double. After that, the intention is to add new pieces more slowly, 5-6 at a time, every 6 weeks to two months.
It's all about experimenting, watching and working the line, listening to what community and customers have to say and suggest.
Mel Bernie calls it 'chasing the business'.
So....the clock is ticking! I guess I'd better run!
It doesn't matter if you like vintage jewelry or not. These days many people are into recycling, upcycling, redesigning, and taking apart old pieces to make something else. I've done plenty of it myself!
I first got interested in the assemblage or collage art form many years ago, several years after I started picking and selling vintage jewelry. There were always broken pieces to throw back, and I saw photos of things people were making from broken jewelry. There were articles in VICTORIA magazine, one of my favorites! about memory jewelry and recreating wearable things from bits of the past.
And then.....one of my vintage customers told me about Wendy Gell. When I first saw Wendy's jewelry, I was mesmerized. She happened to be in just the right place, just the right time in history for her collaged 'wristies" and funky big brooches to make it big in the fashion design business.
This is a custom bridal wristy made by Wendy Gell. Beautiful work! Totally unique to the world of jewelry design when she began decades ago, nowadays we see work like this all the time on the internet. Wendy Gell is not the first assemblage jewelry artist to walk this earth, but she IS, for me, the beginning of art jewelry collage in this style, in more modern times. If it weren't for Wendy, many of us probably would still be making tree collages out of Gramma's old earrings. She got the world to pay attention and made assemblage jewelry high fashion! Wendy Gell's jewelry appeared in Vogue and on the Vogue cover numerous times.
There are pieces of Wendy Gell's work in the Smithsonian. They are considered part of pop culture.
AMAZING! And then....there is the other Wendy, Wendy Baker:
Wendy Baker is a responsible repurposer. She creates most of her vintage flower jewelry from vintage parts, not pieces that have been broken down. Her work is bold and inspirational, and much of her work is done with cold connections like wire and jump rings, rather than glue. I love her work and I love Wendy. I'd love to spend a day creating with her. We've both got it on our bucket lists!
What does it mean to be a responsible repurposer?
I used to write for a leading vintage jewelry publication, in fact I did so for eight years. I had my own column. At the end of my articles, I would always sign off with, "May the jools of your dreams land in your lap and only cost you five bucks!"
Hey, we all want to find stuff to work with and make money without having to fork over a lot! For many the latest flea market has become another sort of crafts store. It's a great place to find bags of busted stuff, bits of this and that for jewelry making! And pretty pieces of old jewelry. Yard, tag and estate sales are another brilliant resource for those things.
But just because the items were cheap, missing stones or needing a great cleaning, or are just OLD, does not mean they should automatically be fodder for your next jewelry creation. Is a new stash of vintage jewelry your new artistic playground?
It could be! It also might be the source of a new income stream that will get you far more money than randomly taking pieces and breaking them down for parts.
AND THAT is what RESPONSIBLE REPURPOSING 101 is all about. Wouldn't you like to learn to identify pieces that may have great value? Don't think you won't find any! It happens all the time! Sometimes all you need is a few minutes on the internet to learn about your piece, get it ready to sell, and find a buyer. There are avid collectors of the old pieces who are willing to pay good money for what you find! In many cases, they may pay you more money than you would make cabbaging parts and making new assemblage pieces.
Who doesn't need money for good tools, storage equipment, a show tent, supplies, adequate branding for their artisan lines? Who couldn't use a few extra bucks to supplement family income? I assure you: You CAN get it this way. This is an adventure in learning that you definitely want to be serious about, and a journey you want to take.
I know because I did it.
This is exactly how a poor young mother was able to trade a tiny mobile home for a modest house, and buy a decent car instead of enduring a very old one that broke down all the time.
It is how she bought diapers for her baby boy, got him to the doctor for his well baby visits. It's how she bought him school clothes, and how she put braces on his teeth.
How she helped him get his first car and into college.
It is also how she built a business that gave her a sense of value and purpose. Everything that she parlayed into a career as a jewelry designer came from the money she made from learning about vintage jewelry and finding buyers for it. B'sue Boutiques as you know it today would not be here if learning to make money from vintage jewelry hadn't happened, first.
In Responsible Repurposing 101 you will learn:
---How to train yourself to first look at vintage jewelry for value and condition, rather than immediately think of how you would remake or take down the piece for parts.
---how to separate, or triage, a box of old jewelry for value as well as parts good for repurposing.
---You will be learning how to be careful to dispose of tags on old jewelry that is good for repurposing, not use parts of a design that include a logo, be aware of possible lead content and allergens in old pieces, especially old metal and chains.
---You'll learn about names and marks and will be given resources for researching them. We'll talk about what is very popular among today's collectors, and how the vintage jewelry trade is just as trendy as the fashion business.....because it remains to this day, part of the fashion business.
---What to do if a piece is substantial but unmarked.
---You will learn how to circa-date jewelry ( get the approximate age and design style of the piece).
---There will be a discussion of OLD PLASTICS, OLD METALS.....and, a bit about OLD BUTTONS!
---You will learn what to look for in NEW designer names. There are some that already have value on the secondary market, and others that soon will.
---You will learn how to establish a value according to current trend and price that piece to SELL!
---You will learn how to find and continue to find vintage jewelry.....and how to find BUYERS for it.
---You will learn about starting a small collection of your own.
---We will discuss the INSPIRATION FACTOR: what we can learn from designers that have gone before us.
---We'll talk about repurposing heirlooms into more wearable designs without damaging them...and also what to do when someone comes to us wanting us to alter an old piece that they possess but is very valuable.
That's just the tip of the iceberg!
We will also talk about potential value in unusual unsigned things we find along the way. This pendant was made by a local woodworker. It is like a miniature doll house under plexiglass. I bought it for about 50 cents.
I sold it for 50.00.....to someone who collects miniature work.
Interesting!
The class will last 4-6 weeks, depending on what students need. If we can cover all this territory in a month, then we will. If there is more to say and students still have questions and want to listen, I won't rush them off.
We will conduct the class at FACEBOOK in a private group made just for this purpose, the same way as the Build A Line Challenge class is held each year. The class is NOT project-driven. It will be structured discussion and you will have modules that you can print out for your own use, and put in a folder. There are NO BLOG HOPS, NO DEADLINES, NO REQUIREMENTS. You can come to class every day, or every few days and just scroll back and catch up with the discussion. You will be invited to post photos of things you have found, and would like to talk about. The class, being on Facebook, will not be held in real time, but you know how it is on Facebook! Our groups are chatty, and I expect the discussion to be brisk.
There is no application process for this class. First come, first served. I will accept up to 40 for the class group. The classroom has already been "built". As soon as payments are received, you will be asked to 'friend' me at Facebook, if you haven't already. That way I can place you in the class.
The class fee is 95.00 and worth every dime. It will be an eye-opener and turn you into a jewelry detective! And if you put the advice given into play, you will have much more cash in your pocket to get the things you really want to develop your jewelry design business.
Sign ups will begin Tuesday May 2, 2017. You can private message me at Facebook for a PayPal invoice, or call us at 1-800-868-4393 to make a payment by credit card. The classroom will be opened the last week of May and everyone will get an invitation to join us there.
Class will begin on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 and will wrap up in late August. In the summertime, we need to allow a little more time as people have events and vacations and we want them to be able to catch up. As mentioned, I won't be in a hurry to rush you off. If the class needs another week or two, they shall have it.
I can't wait to share the secrets of Responsible Repurposing with you! The things you learn will not only help your bottom line, but they will INSPIRE YOU as you learn new ways to view vintage design.
Cora Thomas was born in the year 1879, the daughter of Debra and Michael Thomas, a family which originally came from Wales.
In 1900 she went to house-keeping by marrying Bryson Glotfelty, son of Jonas Glotfelty and Rebecca Specht.
The Glotfelty lineage went all the way back to Solomon Glotfelty. He came with his father, Casper Glattfelder of Glattfelden, Switzerland, mother and other family members to the New World somewhere not long after his birth in 1738. Casper Glattfelder was born in 1709. Somewhere in time Solomon's last name was Americanized to Glotfelty. Anyone with that last name comes from Solomon....and is somehow related to me.
Their marriage was unique in a number of ways. First, because Debra Thomas lost her husband, Michael (Cora's father) and Jonas lost Rebecca (Bryson's mother). Somehow---and I'd like to know that story!---the two decided it would be a good idea to raise their families together, so they became a "Brady Bunch" type family.
The portrait above is of Cora and Bryson with a couple of his sisters, a cousin and a family friend, probably taken not long before their marriage. I see no wedding ring on Cora's hand, which is resting on the shoulder of the young lady sitting next to her, which I think would have been one of his sisters.
So yes, Cora married her step-brother. Unique! (No blood relation, of course!)
Also unique in that they had a grand wedding with engraved invitations, a fancy church wedding, many gifts and many guests. Some of those gifts have been saved and treasured through the years and I'm happy to own a few today.
My Grandmother, Blanche Brenneman Glotfelty, gave me these pressed glass pieces from among Grandma Cora's wedding dishes a long time ago:
They are what collectors call EAPG, or Early American pressed glass. The large bowl on the left is a banana bowl in a very common pattern, one you often see in antiques shops. The other is a berry dish with some gold flash on it. I have a couple of those.
The biggest prize, however, is this chocolate slag glass berry set:
My mother has owned this set since I was just a little girl. I remember wondering again and again about it, since it was always placed high up on the highest shelf in the cupboard and hardly ever used, so out of place with all of her late 50's and 60's style every day dishes. Once in a bit she would take it down and let me hold it, telling me that it was probably some of Grandma Cora's wedding dishes and that it had been given to her by Grandma when she was a young wife.
I always marveled at the unique peanut butter swirly color and the old Victorian-type patterning. For sure it was one of the things that created inside me a love for antique glass and dishware. Once grown, I searched and searched for things that would have been in my grandmothers' homes. I have found Shawnee pottery, which was in my Grammy's house; a jewelry box made like a Swiss chalet that was in my Great-Grandma Brenneman's house. For years my cupboards were full of jadeite and jade-green Fire King dishware, just like Grammy had.
But NEVER did I find anything like that berry bowl set!
Recently, my mother decided to give it to me.
Mom looks so much like Grandma Cora....
The other day, I posted these photos on my Facebook page and wow! the wonders of Facebook.....Dana Jones popped up and identified them as chocolate slag glass. That I was pretty sure of! It was the ray pattern on the bottoms of the bowls and the swirlies around the edges of the bowls that revealed even more!
The set was made by the Indiana Glass and Tumbler Company and is known as Greentown Glass. This pattern is called Leaf Bracket and it was extemely popular in 1900. In fact, the company made over 28,000 of these berry bowl sets to be sold in stores that year.
Sounds like it was a hot item for them, and probably something coveted by many young brides!
Mom and I were on the fence wondering was this from Cora's wedding dishes or something she got later, but the info from Dana seems pretty conclusive that indeed, these were wedding gifts.
Grandma Cora ran a boarding house and fed her guests very well. She was known far and wide for her baking skills.
This prim-style sign is the one that hung outside of her home in the 30's, before the original house burnt down. A fire began one hot summer day by spontaneous combustion and began on the top floor of the three story house. It burnt slowly, but they were unable to put it out. No one was hurt, and all the men and neighbors came running to try and remove as much from the house as they could. Nearly everything from the first two floors was saved.
I am so happy to own that sign. And I just realized, these pieces of glassware that I now own would have had to have been carted out of the house as it was burning, too....or they would not have been around to hand down the line.
A new house was built soon thereafter on the original foundation, so that the basement of the old house remains under the new one:
All down that back porch, it hung thick with Concord grape vines from which Grandma made the best grape juice and jellies. When I grew up, I learned how to make juice like she did, but I had to buy my grapes.
Oh! how I love a grape arbor....and I do know why.
This is all that remains of all of Grandma's grape arbors:
Beautiful Roselawn Farm remains and is lovingly cared for.
Jonas Glotfelty and Bryson Glotfelty moved their families to Roselawn Farm in the 1920's, as the story goes. Previous to that they lived in Maryland, down by the Deep Crick area....and to this day Jonas' house remains there. It's been renovated by someone who bought it. It is now a very upscale bed and breakfast house.
The Glotfelty family has lived on Roselawn Farm for now over 90 years. It belongs to my Uncle Dave now, and one day will belong to his boys....and maybe one day, to their children, I hope.
These are the chestnut trees that grow down the lane. My Uncle Dave is a furniture maker who has made the most beautiful tables and other pieces. My mother's long dining room table with spoon feet was made by him. He had a shop in one of the outbuildings where he made...what else? Chestnut Lane Furniture.
Apple trees grew on the other side of the lane. Just beyond them to the back right, is where Grammy had her large garden. It was one of the places she loved best. No wonder that I love a garden, too!
We kids used to collect the chestnuts and Grammy put them in the turkey stuffing. Let's just say it was an acquired taste. You ate them or you picked them out of the stuffing! But it sure made it a 'family thing'. ;-) We kids loved to eat them raw!
Oh.... how the years fly by! It seems like yesterday that I picked up those chestnuts in the lane. Some of the most sentimental and happiest times of my life were spent on that farm.
We lost Grandma Cora in the mid 60's, but not before she told me a boatload of her stories. And OH! what a story teller she was! Here she sits, content in her home by the stone fireplace in what is now, my Uncle Dave's living room.
He and my Aunt Jerry have been marvelous custodians of the place. Grandma was in her 80's when this photo was taken.
Across the driveway is the little white bungalow house that Bryson Glotfelty built for Naylor, his son, his wife Blanche, and their growing family: Phyllis, Kathy, Dave and Ed.
Inside this doorway my Grammy always waiting with arms full of love and a nearby plate of cookies... or some other yummy thing she had made.
She lived to be a rich 95 years old, passing away in January 2011. Now my Uncle Ed and his family own her home. I am glad it is still in the family. I am not sure I could bear to think of anyone else living there.
Things do not remain the same forever.....that's the way of things. We must expect and accept it, sadly; death is a part of life and so is loss and the change that comes along with it.
Yes, the berry bowl set sure is fine, I am so delighted to own it. In the long run, though, it's just stuff--important stuff, but just pretty pieces of glassware. There is nothing in this world....NOTHING.....like my childhood memories and the love I had from my grandmothers.
I just want to say thanks, too, to Uncle Le for all the wonderful photos he has been posting from his archives of many pictures of our family. He has gone back from the time he married my aunt Kathy (my mother's sister), all through the years. Uncle Le has gone to a tremendous amount of work and it has meant the world to me and so many of the rest of us.
The piece is something that speaks to the buyer. Who would be the buyer of this brooch? What does this piece 'say'?
The buyer might be somebody that just loooooves our Silverware Silverplated Brass and a kitschy, vintage look. Silverware is just too-too rich, nothing like it. And as for kitsch, well, I'm a sucker for kitsch ANY time.
OR: somebody who loves the French language, and LOVE. As of couse, AMOUR is love in French. So there's a little sophistication there for you, besides that LUSH-US silverware plating.
Or: someone who loves artistic, handmade things and LOOKS for meaning in a piece, whether that be sculpture, a painting, OR! a piece of jewelry. THAT person might say, hmmm, there's a telephone, she's in love and wishes he would call her, because she'll never stop loving him. (There's an I'll Never Stop Loving You Charm in there, too....and a heart dangle.)
When people started getting knee deep in making assemblage brooches and jewelry hmmm, maybe 30-35 years ago...that was when Wendy Gell hit it big with her art jewelry and set the world on fire with a whole new American pop look.....they would sometimes name their jewelry compositions. Some still do. Just like painters name paintings.
I always think of song titles, LOL Actually, I never named my pieces but MAYBE that's an angle for you. Naming a composition may bring understanding to the potential buyer, resonate with them somehow.
On the other hand, maybe not. Think of Eric Clapton's composition, Layla. Pretty name, very cool song, and just like this brooch it had a lot of facets: screaming guitar motifs, pleading lyrics and a haunting, pensive piano solo. But Layla, well, who was that?
(Actually I'll digress and rid you of the suspense. Layla was a character in classic Persian literature, a story of unrequited love. Clapton evidently had a strong dose of that when the song was written. At the time, he was in love with George Harrison's wife and muse, Patty Boyd. The song was written for her, and the rest is history.)
Anyway, returning to the original thought, naming your compositions may work and may not. SO, I'd say give folks some kitsch, something pretty, something to smile about, something to ruminate over, lots of texture and detail, something that looks like YOUR style and says YOU....while speaking somehow to THEM.
I know, you're scratching your head now. I'm sorry!
It's really not that hard. More specifics:
These are the parts needed (or ones similar) to build the best-selling brooch from my 1990's line of gift jewelry.
Its stock number was PN-38. Back then, if you were a shopkeep and you bought twelve assorted, you'd would get a 13th from me, for free.
They all had the same basic shape, but it was a shape unique to our line; it was also very, very, B'sue. Nobody had brooches in this shape or made JUST this way.
To this day I find I still favor an inverted V pattern!
We made literally thousands of them and they all came on a special card ready for sale. I did not sign any of them. We made every incarnation of this style brooch you could imagine, many of which were suggested to me by my shopkeeper customers.
We had Mom, Grandma, Sister, Friend, Friends Forever, Special Friend, Secret Sister, Secret Pal, Aunt.....and others. When they were made up, they would look something like this:
The gimmick was that I would engrave the heart with the sentiments above, in script, with a Dremel engraver.
I have not made one in at least 15 years. And I must say, this one's an upgrade. I was tickled to find that I could still make one in about fifteen minutes and not make a mess. Just a couple glue strings on the front and a little gob on the back that will be easy to get rid of.
Here is the back:
I WILL sign this one....I might even engrave the front, yet. It's not too late.
Back in the day when we made 'em like cookies on a sheet, I engraved all the hearts first on raw brass that had been shined up on a big old jeweler's buffing machine. We used tripoli and the brass would just glow. It would also add a little antiquing to the details in the heart.
I would stand there and engrave them until my eyes were crossed and my right hand was numb. Then my shop assistant, Rachel, would take them and paint them down with black acrylic paint, and then buff them out again so that the writing would show. I had to use just the right pressure and as steady a hand as I could muster.
The hardest part about this line was that it was not easy to teach placement. It's not like my You Tube videos
Here she is with that deer-in-the-headlights look....
Or maybe it's time for a nap?
ANYWAY, again I digress....say! This is gonna be a FUN challenge!
ABOUT REPRODUCING THINGS FOR A LINE OF JEWELRY:
When you take time for my video classes, you get ideas, you go off and decide to try it or come to the website or go rummage through whatever stuff YOU have lying about and just have a little fun. You're not out to copy the item verbatim (well, I hope not!) You watched what I did, and I just gave you a new idea.
For my artisan helpers, there were no new ideas. WE WERE PRODUCING A LINE. Shops knew it was handmade and there would be a bit of variance....but the brooches needed to be a basic size and have a basic look.
In other words, they ALL needed to look like *I* made them.
In this case, NOT easily done.
There were so many other themes, too.....typical ones like Teacher, Nurse, Hairdresser, even ones with peoples' names on them. Then we had ones for square dancing and quilters, and even babysitters. Each brooch had different little trinkets that had to go on top to co-ordinate with the engraving.
So everyone had to learn what trinkets each brooch 'took'. They also needed excellent glue technique, and that could be a real problem! I can remember being MIGHTY steamed having to clean up work that was not up to par on orders that were already late shipping out....arghh! They also required a good lacquer finish.
We used to use a lacquer on the line called TREASURE CRYSTAL COTE. I used to call it LAK and when I began to sell stuff (parts, tools, etc) online, I sold it too. I don't even know if they still make it. It made the pieces pop but it was not good for my health, and I was the one that ended up doing a lot of the finish work. So glad that there are better ways to do things, these days. There is no lacquer on the one I just made today, and there won't be, either.
I hardly ever use a paint on lacquer anymore unless I am doing resin. Resin would not be good choice for a delicate piece like this, with a lot of bits and pieces. If truly necessary, I'd use a little Jewelry Shield or possibly Swellegant Clear Cote.....we sell both at B'sue Boutiques
A LITTLE NOTE: if you are lacquering over plating, and this piece is NOT raw, it's brass ox....do NOT use Diamond Glaze, DG and brass ox don't jive chemically. You can get this strange blue run off that SOMETIMES I actually like but you gotta know what it's gonna do and plan for it. So just don't do it, don't go there, stay away from Diamond Glaze over brass ox plating, okay?
Here is one last example of how you might get attention with a line and have it be uniquely yours. I made this bracelet today with some of my little rhinestone owls and one of those wonderful double-hook adjustable wire bracelet forms:
Okay so yeah, we do have a little something extra going on.....we have some crystal chain swag and dangle, it's not just charms or beads on a wire bracelet thingy.
Still.....if I wanted to get really personal, and I did:
Not ONLY do I have BLING (very good) OWLS (owls are HOT as charms and jewelry motifs right now) and mixed metals! but now, I have a hand-engraved messsage that talks back to the owls. AND it says B'sue because this looks like something I'd make.
There are never any guarantees when you design or build a line, but there are a bunch of reasons to buy this bracelet. The more reasons you give them....
The more your line works.
"Gimme one reason to stay here, and I'll turn right back around...."
There are some folks whose heart you touch.....and then, in the simplest of ways...know just when to touch yours back. When that happens, it just plain gets you through the day.
Once and again, out of the blue, someone sends me flowers. We all enjoy them here in the office. When they start to 'depart', I like to see what will happen if they just go their own way. I don't just automatically pitch them unless I already know they are the sort of flower that probably won't dry unless I press them.
Pressing flowers is great, but I just don't have time. So....
Usually I just try and let them dry in the standing water til it's all evaporated, and their colors have intensified, edges ruffled, and they are quite nicely preserved.
This bouquet did amazingly well! Beautiful pink roses and pale green hydrangeas, my favorite comfort colors.
How DID my friend know?
I continue to enjoy them just as they are.
Another bouquet that preserved nicely was the amazing arrangement that the attendees of our workshop last May brought to me, at the event:
There are alot of miniature roses and preserved greenery in this large vase. When it started to go, I simply placed it in a deep windowsill in a sunny window.
This material is PERFECT for embedding in resin.
By the way.....have you seen artist Oksana Bell's work?
Let me turn you on to some of the best resin embedding work I have ever seen:
I'll use some of my drieds to make some easy-peasy pendants this winter. Our bezels and mounts are perfect for that, and we sell some cab molds at B'sue Boutiques that will work out for some of the material, too:
Last week when I stopped to get my mail at the box downtown, I noticed some lovely red leaves had fallen in the walkway.
My first reaction was....."So soon?" But I realized, as has happened far too many summers, that summer is so filled with work and things to do to reorganize our business, or in the past, traveling, doing shows.....that it pretty much came and went without notice.
I must say, it's important to me to take time for Autumn. To me it is one of the most glorious things God has made, part of the cycle of natural life. Just like everything He has done, he does Autumn up to a turn, even its little imperfections are perfect. I make myself stop and ruminate.
I brought the leaf home and pinned it to a cork board, where as you can see, the colors migrated a bit, it curled, dried, some of the colors more intense than others and in some ways, less so.
At the Bohemian Vibe Facebook group, where we mix media, brass stampings et al with polymer clay, the challenge for September was to make a parure.
A parure is a set of jewelry with three pieces or more, that go together.
The last two months have been my own personal business challenge as we opened the NEW B'sue Boutiques at Volusion. I've told quite a few people that moving our large unwieldy supplies website was a lot like childbirth....and it was. We have been refinining and moving things around on it ever since we redirected the domain. The process has been daunting, but we're getting it right this time.
Evidently those who follow us and shop with us think so too, as we passed the 500 orders mark---a first milestone---a day ago.
THEN: We discovered we needed to re-network and move all the business computers. We found a woman-run company to work with us, and I feel quite content that FINALLY all the tech stuff in this place will at long last, be as it should be.
GIFTS: I just can't seem to get to that parure for Bohemian Vibe. I LOVE POLYMER CLAY, and was so thrilled when Christi Friesen suggested we start this group together and see what would happen combining her techniques and approaches to clay work with things we sell at B'sue Boutiques and she sells at christifriesen.com
The more I learn about clay the more I love it, but the more I doubt I 'quite' have the gift. Or at least......if I do, the gift is quite far away just yet.
Katie Oskin of Kater's Acres and I have become good friends. She lifts me up and I have enjoyed having her here to shoot video for her to show on my YouTube channel three times since I met her in May.
Here is the video we did yesterday:
And she brought me some gifts:
Beautiful Skinner-blend leaves she had made with Lisa Pavelka cutters. Even a little acorn she'd made with one of our caps!
THEN she MADE me some gifts:
All from the video, and now mine.....Katie is so generous.
So, methinks....PERHAPS I can whip out some sort of a LEAF parure for the Bohemian vibe challenge. Maybe. I'm inspired, anyway. Leaves? Yeah, I think I can do this.
Some blended clay....might not be the way someone really deep into the art of working with clay would do it, but I will tell you something I do know about myself.
I really don't care about that.
It's about what *I* will discover. Not about what they think. ;-)
I particularly like this cutter, it comes from a large set of flower and leaf cutters by Makins Clay. We will have them at B'sue Boutiques soon.
I have another cutter from another set that I often use, I am not sure who makes it, but if you play with clay, you probably have it, I see it used alot.
So I made a bunch of clay headpins....leaves:
I am making some smaller leaves as well.....and I'll also need to figure out what sort of beads I want to make:
Katie demonstrates in the video how to make that spiral bead a bit differently than I do, she winds it around her finger. My way was always to form around a wooden skewer, I got very nice uniform ones that way....but they had a tendency to stick and sometimes you would impale your fingers trying to get them off the skewers.
OUCH!
ANYWAY, though my parure is far from finished I am starting to believe again that the gift for clay IS there, that meeting this challenge was a good idea even though pressed for time....
And that somehow I'll get this down. I sort of have a vision about it, now.
