Jewelry Making Outside The Box: Meep the Cat

October 28, 2017

October 29 is National Cat Day : About Three Cats and A Bunch of Cat Jewelry

Oh for the love of a cat. And what we let them get away with! Meet Millie, current mascot at B'sue Boutiques

No, I do not allow her on the table, but at least it's not the kitchen table, it's just a table with a nice cloth on it in my living room. You know cats....turn around, and they do EXACTLY as they please. Even if it's up on the table!

Whatever we go through with our feline friends, I am of the opinion that it is worth it. We do what we do for the love of a cat, not just ours for them, but their love for us. A loving little nudge, sweet kitty kisses, warm purring as they sit in our laps on a cold winter day. Or maybe a day when we just need comfort.....the love received from a cat is hard to forget.

And don't forget play time!

They can be the silliest things!

Or the most curious....

Evie, the tuxedo kitty in the photo above, was my comfort kitty. He knew my pain and my angst, he always knew when I was down. Somehow, he felt it was his job to make me feel better, somehow. If he heard one sob, he would literally run from wherever he was in the house, to where I was, and he would plaster himself up against me for however long it took, til I was happy again.

I miss him. He lived to be 17 1/2 years old. Evie came to me as a tiny stray kitten about five weeks old, just barely old enough to leave his mother. We found him at the back door, opened it, and he trotted right in with his tail in the air as if to say, "Here I am!" We couldn't find anyone to whom he belonged, so he quickly became ours.

I lost Evie about 2 years ago and it seems like yesterday. I said I would never have another cat, I just couldn't bear the thought of having anyone but him. But only five days later, grief made it unbearable and I had to welcome Miss Millie into my home. She was a rescue kitty.

And then of course, there was Meep. Meep's story and daily doings were often chronicled on this blog. If you have followed B'sue for awhile, you know good old Meep. He was comical.

When we found ourselves at the little brick and mortar shop some time ago, Meep, being a younger cat, was very lonely. We couldn't take him down there, it was a rented building and just not the right place for him to be. He was left at the house with Evie, an older cat who wanted to be left alone to sleep. Meep was very frustrated and it just seemed wrong for me not to try and find him a new home with people who would dote on him. I just was not at home very much and he needed attention.

I did. He is a very blessed cat, because now he has Catherine Shattuck as a cat-mother. He's the cream in her coffee, she and her husband, Everett, are nuts about him.

You can read the story of how I let him go, here: I Loved Him First

Did you know? Today is National Cat Day

Every year, in fact, October 29 is designated as National Cat Day!

At the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group you will find that not only do we love to make jewelry....but we are a bunch of cat lovers. I'd love to show you a few of the pieces some of the friends at the group have made. Here is a nice pendant from Harry Wood:

This is a cuff bracelet that I made for a blog hop, a long time ago!

A sweet bracelet made by Cindy Peterson:

Danielle Clarke's cat tassel earrings:

Jennifer Merrill Williams:

Monica Rangne:

Pamela Anger's shopping kitty:

And Pam's Gone Fishin' cat:

Danielle Clarke again, with her Parisian cat bangles:

I made this cat brooch from an old image and gingerbread patina created over brass:

and this cat ring....well it's in the middle of this collage of my pieces of artisan jewelry:

And then....there is Cat In Pearls, from Pamela Anger:

And there are so many more we could share! Maybe next year, or I will start a Pinterest board for our cat pieces!

But I'll wrap this up with a piece by 1928 Jewelry Company. This one is an old chestnut that has delighted people for years....I carry it in in the Vault section of my website at B'sue Boutiques:

I hope you enjoyed our cat parade! And now I have to stop cattin' around....and get some jewelry made!

Posted at 05:16 PM in Encouraging Your Artistic Journey, Featuring Artists Whose Work I Admire, Meep the Cat, Vintage Findings and Antique Jewelry | Permalink | Comments (10)

December 07, 2013

I Loved Him First

I just put my dear little boy, Meep, in my friend's car......and watched him go, far, far away.

A few months before Jordan got married he got the idea that he'd like to have a kitten to raise at his new apartment. Shelley had a whole bunch of stray cats that were dropped off at her place out in the country; she was desparately trying to find them homes as she could not afford to care for all them.

Jordan and I went over to her place one evening to see the kittens. The youngest ones were under a blue tarp outside, sleeping. I reached in and felt a furry mass of long hair....and out came Meep, about five weeks old, just hardly old enough to leave his mother.

We took him home that night. Long story short, though, Jordan didn't take the cat to his apartment. I ended up with the kitten we originally named Meatball ....but who became Meep.

He was a bit of a plague to our older cat, Evie:

Always extremely curious.....

and he loved to be part of things, before we came down to the shop to work, leaving our old in-home business, behind. Here he is, perched on a shelf in our old shipping area:

Meep helped me do book reports here at this blog. He was always a big fan of Warman's Jewelry:

He loved playing with sari ribbon....

He helped me sell ICE RESIN:

Once, when he was tiny, we found him asleep in a shipping box!

When we moved our business to the shop, Meep could not come with us. Since it's a rented building, it did not seem like a good idea to bring him here. So he had to stay at home, all by himself, with Evie, an old lazy cat who didn't like to play:

HE WAS BORED.

Meep is a Maine Coon cat, and if you know anything about them, you know they tend to be 'talky' cats. They chirp and trill rather than 'meow'. When I would come home at night, Meep would question me.....as if to say, where have you been? Don't you love me any more?

Over the months, it just seemed best to begin to look for a new home for him....hard as that seemed for me. Finally, someone perfect to take on the task of being the Meepster's new mama, showed up. My friend Catherine is a very doting person. She loves cats and wanted one that was older and more settled, but that still liked to play.

He sure does!

I was listening to a playlist I made that has "I Loved Her First" on it, it's a popular song that serves as the song brides dance to with their fathers, at weddings. In fact, my niece, Andrea, just did.

As I listened to it, I thought of Meep:

Our house is the only place he remembers or has ever known since the day I pulled him out from under that tarp on Shelley's back porch. I was the one to care for him, feed him, take him to the vet's, console him.

YES. I loved him first. And I shared him with many of you via funny posts here and at Facebook.

Now Catherine has him. I have a feeling, that maybe....

She will love him BEST.

XOXO darling Meepie....

Posted at 01:28 PM in It's My Life, Meep the Cat | Permalink | Comments (11)

October 31, 2012

Mayhem Monday.....On WEDNESDAY! Plus Winner for October

That big old storm put us all a little behind, I think....so I'm a day late!

Here in Ohio, it wasn't so bad....just windy and miserable. Cold, cold rain, it's still raining. A little less than it was....but still raining. And of course, I went and caught myself a cold, ugh.

That having been said, the fact that we had a storm, did not flag the momentum at the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group at Flickr, for Mayhem Monday. We had a lot of great posts: in particular, I believe I'm going to use Terry Matusyk's (Pink Chapeau at Etsy) photos for another post altogether. I'll give you a little tease, though:

This is a collection of jewelry made by designer Harry Iskin, who manufactured sterling/vermeil pieces in the US from approx 1930 to the early 50's. These pieces have a strong mid to late forties feeling. Perhaps you have some that you have inherited from a relative or found at a flea market.

These pieces are highly collected and so, they are not repurposing fodder. ;-) More on that in my next blog post, which will be dedicated to telling you more about this jewelry, along with the use of Terry's photos and a link to Dotty Stringfield's http://www.illusionjewels.com

Terry also shared this very collectable brooch made by the Napier company:

Anything that has a designer name on it and is Disney-related usually has a pretty decent value!

Maggie Akerson shared a nice grouping of earrings.....I chose just a few photos, and you can go back and have a look at the rest at the FLICKR group:

She makes the lovely polymer clay roses by hand! I smiled when I saw these Spanish Rose earrings:

I recently made a couple of pair of them very similar, only using the rusty black mount. We carry the cameos and the mounts at B'sue Boutiques

Maggie fell in love with Mona Lisa, too:

These are the 18mm Mona's from B'sue's.

I liked these pretty eardrops, too....again made by Maggie:

Just a little somethin-somethin....and so wearable!

Laurel Steven is a fabulous polymer clay artist:

Awesome, what she did with the clay and the vintage molds she's made. Find her shop at Etsy.

She also did a little repurposing:

This reminds me SO MUCH of German Deco jewelry, even the old Fahrner styles....chrome with bakelite! Laurel took some bits and some buttons and came up with this showy piece. Well done!

Grace Acosta of Rivkasmom.com showed us some funky steampunk:

Beautiful stuff, with those rivoli stones! And then there was this pendant:

I LOVE the upside down clock.

This photo sent by Grace gave me a chuckle.....edible steampunk!

You know what....don't laugh. I would totally spray these with gold spray paint and lacquer to seal. I might use them on a picture frame.

Last week at TJ Maxx HomeGoods I found some really cool pasta in the gourmet section, it just had such a look about it. I didn't think food....I thought components! And YES I DID spray paint them. In fact, I have big plans for them and even sent a few out in the MUSE BOXES I had available this week----so if you got one, don't laugh! Muse Boxes are about putting on thinking caps! Outside the BOX! (the pasta box!!)

These Easy Peasy Earrings are from MockiDesign at Etsy (Monica Rangne):

Mocki lives in the Lower East Side of NYC, and the last we heard from her was on Monday afternoon. We know that part of the city was hard-hit, so we hope she is safe and dry and that we will hear from her very soon, she is a precious part of the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group

Pretty much everyone else has checked in, so we will be so glad to hear from Mocki when she gets back to a computer.

One of the sweetest photos this week was from Bonnie Merck:

This is her darling little Westie, Gracie. I love these dogs; I always said, if I had a little dog it would be a Westie. But I can hardly manage these rotten cats!

Here Meep shows you all his splendor. He is a big fat Maine Coon cat.

Evie just likes to sleep. All day!

BEFORE I FORGET: The winner of the 25.00 gift certificate drawing to B'sue Boutiques is PAM ROBERTS of A GYPSY AT HEART.

Pam contributed some great pieces to our Mayhem Mondays during October. Thanks, Pam!

We'll have another drawing next month!

Posted at 02:25 PM in Coupons and Contests, Easy Peasy Projects, Featuring Artists Whose Work I Admire, Jewelry Making, Meep the Cat, Mixed Media Technique, Polymer Clay, Things I've Learned From Others' Blogs | Permalink | Comments (1)

February 07, 2012

Inspiration......Five and Dime Style, Bakelite, and Polymer Clay

Inspiration comes from so many places.

As far as polymer clay is concerned, however, I took my initial cues from THE BAKELITE JEWELRY BOOK by Davidov-Dawes......came out early 90's. There have been MANY since. This is the OLD Five and Dime Style jewelry AT ITS BEST.

I have always been a big fan of 20th century plastic jewelry; composition, celluloid, bakelite, hard plastic, lucite. Looking at this book, however, my creative heart lept up and cried! FIMO! Let me try stuff like this in FIMO......I think I can, I think I can.....

I think YOU can, too....and should. First, to inspire:

Here's a photo I found at Pinterest the other day; it's a very valuable and rare red bakelite heart and key brooch:

Here are some of the ways you know a piece like this is bakelite....first the FEEL of it, which of course since we only have a picture, you can't do...but bakelite is thick, chunky, slick. When you briskly rub it with your thumb, your thumb will smell like formaldehyde.

All findings would be inlaid (as you can see, they are). Never glued on. Also, you can see the material is not molded, but carved. Inside that keyhole you would see marks from carving. If you see mold lines, I'll lay you odds it's not gonna be bakelite. Can you see the small dark spot on the key part? That would be from the inlay of the pinback on the other side (which of course we can't see here.)

You can do this, and better, with polymer clay. You could try to totally reprise the piece in a bright red, and then get the gloss by buffing on a muslin wheel---or other methods as described in the polymer clay instruction books.

Better yet....be inspired. Take the shape, the feel, the vibe....and bring the Five and Dime nature of this brooch forward to 2012. How would you do it?

Here are some bakelite (bakelite being a phenolic resin that also contained wood filler) and wood composition pieces that I own:

The yellow flowers brooch is a two part brooch and is a better piece. It's the only one of the better pieces I had, back when I was dealing in bakelite jewelry, that I ever kept! Sigh....but anyway: The back (not shown) is an ebony black ring that is screwed or sort of even riveted to the back. Not REALLY riveted...you wouldn't want to do that, it would crack. But looks like that sort of thing. The bottom piece is an Art Deco dress clip with inlaid brass wire, it is not a highly collectable piece but still very very nice in the translucent swirly root beer color.

The top piece is not bakelite, but carved wooden cherries on a composition leaf base, strung with the same sort of string that so often, was used to affix the bakelite carved cherries to a 'log' base, on the cherries brooches, which are very desirable. The wear is to be expected; many of these pieces have wear as they were INDEED *real* Five and Dime Style jewelry from back in the day, not made from high-end materials.

About 12-13 years ago I made my own version of the cherries brooch. It is far from perfect as a freshman endeavor....but I did love it and wear it often:

I used a form of craft wire called Twisteez for the cherries, in fact I'm working on getting that for the website again. It's the closest thing to old phone wire that works, unless you want to use coated string which is virtually unavailable, and really, it didn't endure well, then....and it won't now.

Originally the piece had leaves, I kept the last one that fell off ( I wore this ALOT!!) and the one you're seeing here flipped over when I made the photo, so that's the back. Doesn't look so good. See my holes? We want to ream out our holes nicely whether working in clay, ceramic, whatever. I am still working on getting that better and better. I love to see a good, round, clean hole in clay/ceramic.

I do like how the bow part came out! I think the piece was glazed with Fimo Lak, which I used to use back then. The Sculpey finishes work as nicely and are less toxic. You could use a light coat of resin, too, but you'd have to be careful....you might have some dripping off the round bead.

Here is a closer look at the vintage 30's wood cherries pin:

This gives you a real nice idea of how it was made, and how you might try it...in clay...and refine it. The little cherries are actually on old brass headpins!

Here is another cool idea made of vintage hard plastic buttons---probably 50's, but could be older:

Wait til I show you the back, to see how it is composed:

Just wire strands, looped through the buttons, then bunched, and the bunch wound. Reminds me a lot of how I made this brooch a little while back:

Anyway.....Five and Dime Style ROCKS, and it's the base inspiration for everything I have ever made as a jewelry designer.

It comes from my love of old things, my days in the trade as an antiques dealer specializing in vintage jewelry. The thrill of the hunt and the big score were BIG rushes, I won't lie to you!

But the inspiration of holding a piece of old bakelite in your hand and thinking....now how does this translate to mixed media? surpasses it all a HUNDREDFOLD.

We were just all made to create. That's what B'sue Boutiques is all about!

So....take it to the next level....take it to the limit. Where will YOU go with this?

PS....here's a newspaper post about a big bakelite auction....you might find it interesting:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/alltherage/2009/12/bonhams-butterfields-auctions-vintage-bakelite-jewelry-draft.html

Posted at 03:02 PM in Meep the Cat, Polymer Clay, Resinology, Style and Color, Vintage Findings and Antique Jewelry | Permalink | Comments (2)

November 11, 2011

Reviewing Techniques is Always a Good Thing....With A Little Meep On The Side

No it's not shafuffah.....it's Meep on the side.

*Inside joke....gotta know the old Nat King Cole song...if you actually KNOW what I am talking about, quote me back some of the words of the song and I'll send you a giftie.*

I did two 'reprise' style videos today because, as we go along, lots of new folks coming in and wanting to know basic assemblage and glue techniques. There are so many videos now *I* can't even remember where to send them! SO: Here is one about that....and....

If you tune in, you'll get to meet Meepie, Meep the Cat, as he has joined us for the first part of the video.

Then, in this video, we kaffeeklatsch just a bit and discuss more about the value of your work, and I use a pair of earrings I just made as a case example on the value of your work:

Would you like to see my necklace a little closer?

This one features that cool new green patina brass. I have more on the way; and I believe there are still some of these stampings at the site. Esmey uploaded a photo at B'sue Boutiques Creative Group using this finding in a different way:

I dunno what you think, but this stuff is so cool. Did you see Beanzie's new big charm bracelet using the green brass?

Check her out at the Vintage Heart, Beanzie Cat at FB.....the bracelet is for sale, if someone hasn't already snapped it up.

I'll sell my necklace, too, if you're interested... ;-)

Posted at 08:18 PM in Jewelry Making, Meep the Cat, Using Social Media to Promote Your Art | Permalink | Comments (4)

October 16, 2011

Sari Ribbon Party Gift Certificate Recips...and More Joy Of Clay Blab

Okay, drumroll!

Let's get to what REALLY matters: WHO WON the THREE 25.00 gift certificates to B'sue Boutiques?

Well, it would be three of the participants from the Sari Ribbon Party!

Employees and relatives of B'sue Boutiques are EXCLUDED. Sorry, Meep!

FIRST:

Jennifer Justman of http://soulsfiredesigns.blogspot.com/

SECOND:

Mary Shannon Hicks of http://uptwnsh-fallingintothesky.blogspot.com/

THIRD:

Janice Everett of http://JLynnJewels.blogspot.com

Each of these entrants receives 25.00 to spend as they wish any time during the next 30 days, at B'sue Boutiques

Please contact me for info on how to use the certificates at the website.

Be sure you come to B'sue Boutiques Creative Group and participate, please, in the discussion about our next hop, POLYMER CLAY BEADS PARTY, which will take place one of the Fridays in January (probably around mid-month, will let you know more on that, later!)

Do you have fear of clay? CUT THAT OUT! It's time to learn and grow, and polymer clay is not only a very versatile medium....it is LOW-COST. I'm not asking you to learn to use PMC with a torch or a kiln here. I can't ask you to do something I don't know anything about, either! LOL

All you need are some VERY basic things:

a dedicated toaster oven (I can special-order an AMACO for you, or forget that and just go to Walmart and get a cheapie---both work.)

a marble cutting board (will explain more about why marble, later)

an acrylic roller (we carry them, they cost under 10.00)

a tissue blade/cutter (ditto)

basic tools (I have a little plastic kit coming in that is VERY low cost---like under 10.00)

stamps and texture plates (you can use scrapbooking stamps you already have and love, if you like!)

an Exacto type knife (these too are coming in if you don't have one)

sealants, Gilder's Paste, paints, yatta yatta....all stuff you already have

and....POLYMER CLAY.

Optional: bead baking tray, cookie cutters, more elaborate tools and kits. NONE OF THIS STUFF is a huge investment. Get your basics and the only thing you'll be replacing is the CLAY.

I will VERY SOON have a basic kit available at a price you will like, with ten 2 ounce bricks of basic, most-loveable colors, the roller, the cheap tools, the knife, and maybe some other doofus to make your creativity BLOOM! By the time the hop comes around in January, you will be seasoned bead makers.

Did you see the spiral beads video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvHuUrJUa5k

The bracelets video was pretty cool. I wore the bigger one in the video, and MADE the smaller one during the video. (They are both for sale in my Etsy shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop/bsue1441 but I dunno....if someone doesn't buy them soon I may keep them, I really love them! LOL)

Here is the bracelets video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U0YWOZy_ko

Here is the video on glazing the beads and making a cheap tray at home for doing the glaze:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMRBk83Hx4Y

and another using Lisa Pavelka's Steampunk Texture Stamps (we have them in the Polymer Clay Section at B'sue Boutiques) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gK2DhCInC8

Don't worry, I'll soon have more videos, too, to help you get over the hump....and you'll JUMP into a basket full of polymer clay beads.

You'll never look back, darlin'.

I promise.

Posted at 03:59 PM in Jewelry Making, Meep the Cat | Permalink | Comments (8)

October 14, 2011

Sari Ribbon Party Day! B'sue and Meep Share Their Entries

Okay...yesterday we got the list re-formatted thanks to alerts and help from Deb Davis, Georgene Lockwood and Mary Deis! I hope you came and got the new list, we posted it at Facebook, too.

This is B'sue Boutiques FIRST blog hop....I anticipated some glitches but I think all in all we'll have a great time. SO.....without further a-do, here is my piece for the hop:

As you can see I used the sari ribbon 'nests' demonstrated in the last video, along with the spool-type beads. I wired and beaded on a polymer clay toggle I'd made, and then added some of my clay beads.

Maybe you can see it better on a white background? LOL

Off the mannequin and laid out, flat! The focal for the centerpiece is all sewn together, and is very random....but you can see that!

This shows the back and all my random stitchery! LOL

Til now, I've mostly used sari to wrap backless bezels on cuffs:

But this hop has opened a whole new world of possibilities to me! I'm thinking of weaving and wrapping it into many more designs!

AND THEN...of course! Meep wanted to get in on the action. So here is Meep with HIS sari ribbon design:

On the windowsill in the office. He's put on his debonnaire handsome cat look.

On the back of my chair, one of his fave places. You can see it a bit better. It consists of a colorful polymer clay pendant and a fussy sari ribbon around his neck....with a big froofy bow.

Here it is close-up:

I have it hanging on a door now, it's become a new fave toy. He loves to go by and bat at it...

Or maybe he's just mad because he doesn't like how it came out. Hmmm

WHATEVER!

Here is the full list of participants for this blog, copied from yesterday's post after we fixed and checked all the links....you may or may not be able to click on them as hot links, as sometimes when a list is copied that feature becomes unavailable. BUT! All links are good, they've been checked and checked again.

Be sure to 'hop around' and check everyone out and if at all possible, leave a comment. This is a kindness to fellow participants and kudos to them for all their hard work. Some really had to think outside the box on this one, since fiber was not their thing.

And another special thanks to Hilary Frye, who opened my eyes to the possibilities of using fiber and more mixed media material in jewelry making. ;-)

Vickie Wills

http://www.jewelrybyvee.blogspot.com/

Susan Kennedy
http://www.suebeads.blogspot.com

Michelle Mach
http://www.michellemach.com/blog/

Michelle Lee Hardy
http://fireflyvisions.blogspot.com/

Ruth Crawford
http://www.home-with-ruth.blogspot.com

Hilary Frye, FryeStyle
http://fryestyle.blogspot.com/

Diana P.
http://www.suburbangirlstudio.com

Brenda Sue Lansdowne, B'sue Boutiques
http://www.bsueboutiques.typepad.com/

Elizabeth Owens-Dwy
http://www.clarityofpurplesage.blogspot.com

Connie Rios-Relyea
http://www.JewelsDesignsCreativeCorner.wordpress.com/

Jennifer Justman
http://soulsfiredesigns.blogspot.com/

Deb Davis
http://www.naturaltreasuresbydeb.blogspot.com

Beanzie
http://www.thevintageheartcharmbracelets.com/the-vintage-heart-charm-b/

Cathie Carroll
http://www.cathiecarroll.com/

Rosemary Cowit
http://www.gemrosedesigns.blogspot.com/

Georgene Lockwood
http://sylvanavintagedesigns.wordpress.com/

Cathy Buckley
http://cathybuckleycatsmeow.blogspot.com

Harry Wood
http://www.oscarcrow.blogspot.com

Sonya Stille
http://dreaminofbeads.blogspot.com

Mary Deis
http://mdeis.blogspot.com/

Heather Goldsmith
http://asibeadit.blogspot.com/

Susan Rouleau
http://mountainshadowstudio.blogspot.com

Terry Matusyk
http://pinkchapeau.wordpress.com

Pam Chesbro
http://afortunatesoul.blogspot.com/

Mary Shannon Hicks
http://uptwnsh-fallingintothesky.blogspot.com/

Janice Everett
http://JLynnJewels.blogspot.com

Davinia
http://www.daviniadesign.com

Kristina Johansson, Maneki
http://wildrosesandblackberries.blogspot.com

Kris Binsfeld
http://www.cherishdesigns.wordpress.com

Mandy
http://www.beadsforbrains.blogspot.com

Charlene
http://thebeaddreamer.com/blog/

Catherine Jeltes
http://www.galleryzooart.com

Jackie
http://kydojewellery.blogspot.com/

Sharon Palac
http://www.sharonsjewelrygarden.blogspot.com

Deb Beechy
http://beetique56.blogspot.com/

Jean Yates
http://prettykittydogmoonjewelry.blogspot.com/

Patrice Pfeiffer
http://treeseatreasures.blogspot.com/

Dorcas Midkiff
http://wondrousstrangedesigns.blogspot.com/

Lynn Perry Bennett
http://designsbylynnea.blogspot.com

Linzi Alford
http://www.magpieintheskyspoilheaptales.blogspot.com

Deb
http://greenshoot.blogspot.com/

Cynthia Wainscott
http://www.exoticperujewelry.blogspot.com

Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp

http://skyejewels.blogspot.com

Alice Craddick

http://alicesbeadsandbaubles.blogspot.com/

B'sue Boutiques Creative Group

http://www.flickr.com/groups/bsueboutiques/

ONE LAST NOTE: If you are a member of the Creative Group, please come over and re-post your photos there!

If you are not a member, please consider joining. We've had some very nice group discussions this week and I hope to have many more, including starting in November, MONTHLY CHALLENGES. More on that later!

And one more thanks.....to all of you who support us at B'sue Boutiques I am so fortunate to know you and to have you in my corner. My number one commitment to you is ALWAYS to do my best and to make you happy, as well as to constantly explore new ways to provoke your--and MY!!--creativity!

Posted at 08:43 AM in Jewelry Making, Meep the Cat, Using Social Media to Promote Your Art | Permalink | Comments (43)

October 12, 2011

Time To Roll Out The List of Participants for the Sari Ribbon Party Blog Hop

It's about time for the Sari Ribbon Party Blog Hop, to be held October 14, 2011.

Are you participating? Scroll down, the full list is in this post. IMPORTANT: copy and paste and keep for Friday, when you post your creations. Then insert the list in your post, so that people can be sure to 'hop around' to the other entrants.

Sheesh, it was like pulling teeth to get our crew into this thing!

I got mine done last week.

Meep is still befuddled. He'll have something....but it will have to be simple.

Rob just couldn't get the right technique:

Jordan is still trying to Finish This Book:

Shelley loves sari, but was chained to her desk in the office (anyway, that's her excuse):

Evie is just a slug. He is only interested in food, sleep....and more food. Shameless.

Thank goodness all of you wrote and signed up! And we have quite a nice list, too!

HERE IT IS:

Sari Ribbon Party Blog Hop

Vickie Wills

Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp

http://skyejewels.blogspot.com

Alice Craddick

http://alicesbeadsandbaubles.blogspot.com/

B'sue Boutiques Creative Group

http://www.flickr.com/groups/bsueboutiques/

If you couldn't play this time, no worries. Please come on over on Friday and cruise the blogs and see all the pretty jewelry!

Have you joined B'sue Boutiques Creative Group? If you didn't get in on the hop but would like to post a sari ribbon creation over there, join up and go ahead. PARTICIPANTS: if you're members of the Group, please feel free to post your photos at the Creative Group as well as your blogs, as that way we'll have an album of sari crafted jewelry.

I listed the Creative Group for those who may have missed getting on the list and have something ready, or who would also like to post their photos there, as well.

Thanks to all who got their ribbon from B'sue Boutiques But even if you didn't, we are REALLY glad you signed up!

Don't forget....grab the list for your blog post, and then, please post as early as possible on Friday because people start tuning in to these things with their morning coffee!

Posted at 04:02 PM in Jewelry Making, Meep the Cat, Using Social Media to Promote Your Art | Permalink | Comments (4)

October 01, 2011

You Gotta Getcha Some Bad Cats/Meep and Evie Try Out for the Calendar

It's a yearly ritual....THE BAD CAT CALENDAR.

If you watch my You Tube videos (find 'em here: http://www.youtube.com/user/bsueboutiques) you will see I've pretty much always had a Bad Cat calendar somewhere in sight. I don't throw them out, they are too good to take down or throw away! GREAT images.....and!

The bad cats are priceless.

Did you know that they get the pix for the calendars via contest? Here is a link for you to enter your bad cats: http://www.workman.com/more/contests-giveaways/badcat/

Meep and Evie have been trying out for next year....tell me what you think:

Who, me? says Evie. Yes, YOU. Momma is gonna turn you in to the BAD CAT people!

Need I say more?

No.....but a picture says a thousand words:

Meep refuses to ship your orders. As you can see, he thinks it's beneath him.

Literally! Caught in the act, sleeping on the job.

He still thinks he'll be allowed to be in the Sari Ribbon Party Blog Hop! I don't know. Would you want THIS cat in YOUR blog hop?

Very defiant. Bad picture of bad cat=eyes very spooky here. Might be good for the calendar. There are even calendars in the background!

They hate this guy. He's the competition. HISS!

Evie wonders if begging will help. He's getting old. Being in BAD CAT is on his bucket list!

Anyway, you can get the calendar on Amazon as well as Barnes and Noble, not hard to find. There's a book too! I even think there is a BAD DOG calendar...if not, there should be!

What would life be without a BAD CAT?

Posted at 02:42 PM in Meep the Cat, Using Social Media to Promote Your Art | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 24, 2011

The Problem with Facebook.....And While I'll Stay Anyway

About a year and a half ago, I hired my nephew, Rob, to do computer maintanence, help me understand new programs, and deal with run of the mill computer problems. In between that, he helps with the shipping and inventory at B'sue Boutiques.

He's a good guy, fiercely loyal to his Aunt Brenda, able to put up with her rants, and hold her hand when she's overwhelmed.

He'll be the first to tell you about the PANIC that comes over my face everytime I come up in this office and see him at my desk, updating my computer. I HATE CHANGE.

I don't want to come to my computer and find that WORD has changed because of an update, and now I have to take fifteen minutes to find out where stuff is. I hate it when things are rearranged on my desktop, or now my email program is somehow different. My first inclination is: I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!

Taking time to learn new bells and whistles and deal with change means less time I get to spend here:

The only changes I have to deal with in my workshop are improvements in my work, and new ideas. No new computer programs or formats. I won't even bring my laptop down here, and only once in a bit do I bring my Blackberry. There is NOTHING in the workshop that has a THING to do with the office or the warehouse. It's refreshing!

Having a business...or even a social life! on the internet, is fraught with that big C word. CHANGE. Everything changes.....constantly!

When I was on Ebay, there were CONSTANT changes. One big change that was hard to deal with was the constant updates to their Turbo Lister program, a bulk uploader that saved a lot of time putting new things in my Ebay store.

But....it was a free program. So, I dealt with it.

Then Ebay continually implemented new seller policies. Every QUARTER there were major hoops to jump through, things that sapped our time and our resources. These changes were changes that sorely affected our pocketbook. At one time, Ebay was FUN. It was PROFITABLE.

Now, it is not. I quit after fourteen years. The first ten were great. The last four were TORTURE.

Another case in point:

Over ten years ago, we had the advent of PAYPAL on the scene. Remember when PayPal was free? Ohmigoodness! We were are in LOVE with Paypal.

I remember how disgusted I was when I HAD to get a PayPal account, though. I was virtually forced into it. CUSTOMERS WANTED IT. How could I deny them? But sheesh, WHY did they want it? I'd take a check (then). I had Visa and MC, you could call in a number (we had and still have an 800 number, no charge!) or use the site server. What did we need PayPal for?

We all know the answer to that, NOW! You're dead in the water if you're an e-commerce merchant and don't have PayPal, these days. Anyone can make a secure payment, any time; easier for the customer and far better for the merchant.

Change can be necessary....AND good.

BUT THEN....all of a sudden....Paypal was no longer free. Everyone was INCENSED!

I viewed it, however, as a credit card that had levied no interest for a certain period of time. We all know the party's eventually over, and then the interest shows up on the bill.

Quit PayPal? If I had, I would have shot myself in the foot, in a business sense. No, I stayed and paid the fees.

Some time ago I opened an Artfire. I never got it up and running as I was dealing with too much Ebay #$&@. I got the policy pages filled in, and a banner made and loaded. Meantime, Artfire decided to change.

I'm ready to go over there and dig in....and lo and behold....they changed the format. POOF!!! my banner was GONE. Some of my work was gone. And I can't figure about 1/3 of it out! That would be the 1/3 of it that I need to get up and running. UGH. Sigh.

ETSY was so simple...we were up and running in 45 minutes at ETSY. Why can't everything be like ETSY?

Will I abandon Artfire completely and forget about it? No. In fact, here is my NEW banner, designed by my friend, Cyndi Carlson, who will be doing all our print ads in the future as well:

Okay....so what about Facebook?

When I first checked out Facebook about three years ago, I didn't get it at all. I didn't like it, and I saw no use for it.

In time, though, I kept reading about how powerful it was for businesses. Many felt that it was more powerful than anything you could publish in print. The only thing more powerful for internet businesses with stand-alone websites was quality SEO (Search Engine Optimization)....and even that was debated.

I decided it was time to jump in and learn more, and get busy with social media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and steady blogging.

Since I've been on Facebook there have been 2 or 3 changes that have been pretty annoying. They took time I didn't have, to figure them out. Sometimes I would come to my desk, open my Facebook page and just want to bawl because my plate was already so over-full, my life was already so over-whelming, and NOW THIS. This last change has been tremendously annoying. The hue and cry in my feed is deafening. The JURY IS IN:

EVERYONE (in my feed, anyway!) HATES THE NEW FACEBOOK.

But the most distressing thing to me, over ANY of the changes, is that some are saying they've had it! and they're done with that format. They are ready to CLICK! and close their accounts.

I GET the annoyance factor. I GET the sense of loss---you had features you liked, and now they are gone.

But what about the sense of community?

I could make a list of people right here (I won't---don't worry, I won't embarrass you!) who are dear to me, whose business opinion has been invaluable, whose ideas have improved the quality of my ARTISTIC LIFE....that I would never have known without Facebook.

My life as an artist and a purveyor of parts! would have been so much less rich if I had not made their acquaintance.

You guys know who you are. Let me just say right here, THANK YOU for everything you have been to me. THANK YOU for all the times you held me up and didn't even know I was ready to crash. THANK YOU MOST OF ALL for your insights and creativity.

Even MEEP the cat! is glad to be on Facebook!

Google+ is coming along. They say it's going to be the next FB. We'll see.....yes, I'll get on the bandwagon as soon as I get time. I was remiss long ago not to be part of ETSY when it first began, as well as FACEBOOK. Google is pretty big. Yes, I'll do that.

Meantime, I'm on Facebook and here to stay. It's not perfect, but it's still FREE and keeps us connected.

And once again....THANK YOU!! for being my Facebook friend! (If you aren't yet, send a request to Brenda Sue Lansdowne, and I will okay it as soon as I see it.)

Posted at 11:27 AM in Meep the Cat, Using Social Media to Promote Your Art | Permalink | Comments (11)