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.
The 2017 Build a Line challenge began in mid-January. So far, we've been examining our style, what it says about us as artisan-designers, and trying to identify our customer. For many, some of concepts are things that can't be answered in a just a few days. It might well be a process. That's the purpose of the class, to re-route thinking and help the artist to discover which path to take.
To get started, the students were first required to make photo collages of past work. This way we would have a sense of where they were in their journeys, so far. The collages also helped the students step back, with a visual, so that they could be more objective about their work. They were asked to try and imagine they they are NOT the artist who made the collage, but someone else entirely. And then....to ask themselves, does it look like the same person made this stuff or a bunch of different people? They were also asked to try and identify common elements in the collages of their work.
A big reason for the class is to help them pull their look together so that it will speak 'one voice'. Some of us become too intrigued numerous techniques and design styles that we never do two pieces that look as if the same person made them! To be successful in developing a line, you need to get that 'one voice' concept, down. Your lines must flow and hopefully, get to a place via your hand and your branding, where people may come to realize who made them even before they are even told who made it.
We've come to the place in the class where we are sharing what our theme will be for our prototype lines developed as a class exercise. The photo collage at the top of the page was one made for the theme reveal by Suzanne Valeriano, of A Silk Purse. She's going with Art Deco-inspired jewelry design.
Here is another, which happens to be a color palette...from Joy Turner of Fireskye Designs:
I have to say, I'm quite drawn to that palette and would love to make things in those hues, myself!
Erika price went with a lovely collage of vintage pieces that inspire her to make jewelry. I believe she is the maker of some of them:
I am working along with the students but doing something a bit different....I am developing the B'sue by 1928 cast findings line:
That line has been out with its beginning 30 pieces, since late December:
The students posted 4-6 collages or photos that identified their theme feeling, like inspiration boards. Then on a final photo, the theme was revealed.
All of the photos are marked, and can be found at this Pinterest board. Believe me, you want to take time to have a look....no more long reading like we had in the blog hops! All visual!!! And they have knocked it out of the park....go over and look, just for the inspiration!
The final round will be the BIG reveal: the showing of the prototype lines made for this class. That's always so exciting! So be sure to check out the first round and come around again for the second! You get to see the BIG REVEAL by the end of the first week in April, 2017.
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!
SO much has happened since our first blog hop about a month ago.
Lots of things I don't think our participants were counting on. Like Toby here, a few are a bit exhausted. And some head-banging!
Others pounded metal, instead, as the aha! moments occured and the ideas began to flow.
The first unique point was learning about the PYRAMID.
This is not like the pyramid scheme type thing which carries a very negative connotion.
Instead is it a triple tiered system of developing a line according to pricepoints.
The bottom tier, or foundation, is based on lower priced goods from 15-50.00. This is the range most people spend on gifts and things they buy as a treat for themselves, without giving it a lot of thought.
A number of us had never given that level a lot of thought, and a few confused it with being asked to cheapen their lines. Not so! Instead, it was about thinking outside the box to be able to provide goods for a broader scope of potential customers.
LOTS of earrings! Never go to a show without a full rack of earrings.
These are things that I have made and sold in the lower reaches for my little shop.
No, they really don't show off my ability as an artist, but not everyone who comes around understands handmade design or even cares. You may need to educate them!
The best way to get them to hang around so you can do that is to offer them easy-peasy things that are nicely made, have some appeal, that they can afford.
Here is Javi putting back into shop stock things we took to a local show. At this show ALL WE SOLD were the lower range items.
That being said, what we all REALLY want to make are statement items. These form the wide CENTRAL part of the pyramid. Most of these goods would be sold in the 50- 125.00 range. This is the FUN level, where we get to stretch our wings, show our abilities, and get some attention as jewelry makers and designers!
But how do we mesh those larger statement pieces with a lower priced line, so that it would be cohesive?
A good thing would be to take one of our favorite statement pieces and examine it for design elements, things we could take from it, whether components or color families....and step them out into smaller elements. This could be the start of the lower priced foundation gift-impulse line.
From there we can pull our statement line together by working in certain mixed metals families:
We can really take that any way we please.....but again, trying to do it in a way so that at the end of the day, we have lines that form a collection, and a designer look that becomes part of our brand.
Then of course we can have the greatest fun by branching out to the peak of the pyramid with custom design, custom bridal, one of a kind, runway jewelry. These are the designs that will pull customers into a show booth, a website, a shop because they are a feast for the eyes.
BUT....they are also the pieces that sell the least. They may be costly, but you will probably not sell enough of them to keep your line and your brand afloat.
The next thing we considered......and again, was a new thought for a number of us!....was how does our work fit in with the fashion of the day?
Are we aware of color trends? Have any understanding of what colors flatter most skin types? Do we know what sort of clothing is coming down from the top fashion designers, destined eventually to influence what people wear at least to some extent, in our own demographic?
Especially if we sell on the internet, the world is our demographic....so wow, YES, we really need to have at least an over-all understanding of what current fashion is, EVEN IF we completely personally eschew it !
Marica Zammit, one of our class participants, expressed it well in her poster made to bring a little levity into a difficult 'light-bulb' moment:
Thank you, again, Marica, for the poster! I'll be using it again and again!
Have you ever considered that VOGUE magazine is the world's fashion leader and that many of the decisions that eventually affect even what is sold in WALMART are made in its offices?
Probably everyone has seen the movie, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. Perhaps you found it entertaining but the truth of it is, it's more fact than fiction. The character played by Meryl Streep is based on Anna Wintour, who is the editor of Vogue; the situations in the movie happen in the fashion world every day.
And YOU, the artisan designer, cannot pretend these things do not exist.
WHAT TO DO?
Elizabeth Hildreth of MadScientistDesigns took the bull by the horns. She had determined that she would be designing a Boho-Mediterranean style line. Stepping back, she began to imagine what sort of woman would be drawn to and buy......and WEAR! her jewelry. From there, she began to imagine what sort of CLOTHING this woman would wear, so that her jewelry would accent it.
Going forward, Elizabeth did research to find out which fashion designers were making clothing like that.....and find them she did!
She started a visual journal at Pinterest which I'll share with you here:
If you are struggling to find a fashion pathway that fits who you are as an artisan jeweler, you might want to think as Elizabeth has and spend an afternoon doing some internet research. Make yourself a Pinterest board! It's fun and it will be very revealing.
We also had some pricing discussions. At first I had rather hoped we would not go this route as at the end of the day, pricing is up to you and your knowledge of your customer, as well as the components you are using.
I do think the discussions were fruitful and we found a blog post that was easy to read and made a ton of sense:
I hope you get a chance to look at it.....but be SURE to check out all the posts to ensue. We still have 55 participants and though it truly has been a challenge for them so far, there are plenty of AHA! moments and great new ideas. We have some amazing opinions and you are going to enjoy the insights. TAKE YOUR TIME, get a journal, TAKE NOTES!
Sign up dates for this challenge are January 8 through 12, 2015.
You will send your 'application' to [email protected] with the words Application for Build a Line in the subject line. Don't use all caps, email programs view all caps as spam and I might not see your email!
The application is not a form, no worries.
To submit an application and be accepted to participate, you must be a member of the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group at Facebook.
You also must have a working blog, and be able to take photos to post on your blog.
You will also need to use visible findings from the B'sue Boutiques in your project. Things like headpins and jumprings purchased from us are not visible findings.
Please send NO PHOTOS with your application.
SEND, in this order:
NAME
BLOG NAME
BLOG URL
a brief, up to three paragraph description of what you are going to do for the challenge. Be very specific as I don't want a lot of cross over (same themes) in the challenge. Have an alternate in mind, in case someone has chosen your theme or idea already.
I will accept participants who qualify by being group members, bloggers, and users of our findings in the order of receipt of your emails. Please apply sooner than later to be sure to get the best chance at the theme or idea you have chosen.
I will respond to your request to participate within 24 hours. Only if I need more clarification will I request photos.
REMEMBER: don't discuss your project idea with anyone else til the first blog hop comes out, which is Jan. 23
There are three hops:
Jan 23
Feb 20
March 20
I will have LOTS more info as we go along!
JUMP IN, don't hesitate. THIS IS NOT ABOUT COMPETING! it's about YOU, your progress, your growth.
Silverware Silverplate is, long story short, the finest silver finish you can purchase anywhere.
It's 99.9% pure fine silver, mellow, rich, looks like old silver, like Grandma's best silver service.
This week, our giveaway is for a fabulous gift muse of ALL SILVERWARE product plus two feet of my fave bead and link chain which looks so rich and is an amazing go-with, also a handful of so lovely big hole beads set with crystals in jewel tones. The stampings alone are worth over 150.00. AND....there's something rare in there.....a silverware scalloped edge spoon finding, which is what I used to make the necklaces above.
I almost never have them for sale in silverware.
Here are some photos of the prize:
EVERYTHING in the photos will become the winner's.
TO WIN:
Log an order at B'sue Boutiques in the amount of 35.00 and when you place the order, ask for SILVERWARE GOODY. Be sure to ask for that SILVERWARE GOODY! because the shippers need to see that you asked so they'll send it. The little packets contain 5-7.00' worth of silverware charms and accent pieces....FREE!
This order will enter you into the drawing for the big silverware muse. The drawing will occur by random number generator on this SUNDAY, December 14, 2014 at 3 pm. ALL ORDERS MADE UP UNTIL THAT TIME that qualify, will be entered.
Do you receive the newsletter? We have new giveaways nearly every week as well as many other perks, but you may only know about them if you get the newsletter or are in the Creative group.
TO SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER: Just go to the homepage at B'sue Boutiques and scroll down to the bottom of the page and look for the sign up box. Just enter your email and click through to get on. If in time you find you aren't reading them, you can easily opt out, I won't be offended. Some folks like email newsletters, some don't. But our Sunday newsletters not only show some inspiring work, they get you first dibs on giveaways and perks!
I'm looking forward to Sunday to see who wins this special prize!
For some time now I've wanted to call out the talents of the B'sue Boutiques Design Team members.....but more than that, to say what a fabulous unit we have. These gals have given me more assistance in brainstorming and new ideas than I can ever repay!
Last summer we were struggling to get the new site up....and pulling out our hair trying to figure out how to overcome summer doldrums and help our fellow artists at the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group become more motivated and engaged so that they'd meet their end of the year goals.
The first photo is of a gorgeous bridal design made by Marcia Tuzzolino of Aurora Designs. Marcia has been so faithful in every possible way, she's helped me brainstorm a number of projects and also serves as a very vigilant administrator for the online Facebook groups. She has also been very prolific in her work, always having something new for Work Table Wednesday as well as Finished Up Friday These are two motivating events we have at the Creative Group every week.
Members of our sister group, Bohemian Vibe are also invited to participate in those events.
Irene Hoffman of HeartsDezire is one of the newest members of the Design Team Group. She is also serving as an admin for the online Facebook groups, shared this brilliant combination polymer clay/B'sue Boutiques findings design today.
Irene also admins the board for Finished Up Friday as well as the board for the Bohemian Vibe polymer clay group we have in conjunction with Christi Friesen.
Judy Jones King is a Design Team member with a no-nonsense attitude toward getting the work DONE. She is the one who started Work Table Wednesday I remember it well, it was a rather slow day and all of a sudden Judy said, get your cameras and show us what's on your workbench, tell us about what you're doing!
AND THEY DID!
Here is a fabulous assemblage Judy did for one of our challenges:
Such talented artists!
After Judy did the Wednesday thing, Marcia and Judy together spearheaded and even SPONSORED the Finished up Friday event. Each month someone who has posted a finished up project to those boards (finished up by Friday-Saturday) is randomly drawn to receive a 25.00 gift certificate to B'sue Boutiques
What would I have done without Kate Mulligan of Mulligan Stew?
Kate has done a couple of videos for us (and by the way, Marcia and Irene did one last spring, too!) as well as suggested ideas for many projects for my videos.
Her etching video is one of the best free online classes on the subject you will find:
What is more, Kate came last summer to help us with our website conversion, and oh my, WHAT would we have done without her! Before she retired she did many conversions for a famous bank as part of upper-level management. I had NO IDEA she knew all this stuff! She simply mentioned she'd like to come down and help with the re-inventory and help us get through the weekend.
She came in, had a look at the website template and organized us to action. It was a relief to just say, "Kate, you're in charge!" What a gift that assistance was.
Here is a beautiful parure that Kate made:
Linzi Alford found me back in her Ebay days and many have been the packages I have sent to her in Cumbria, UK. Here's a gorgeous piece she made:
Linzi has also written a number of great tutorials for the B'sue Boutiques website, including some very informative ones on the use of Swellegant
She has also written many articles for crafts magazines in the UK. I am so proud of her.
Now, Linzi is spearheading a NEW event at B'sue Boutiques called Throwback Thursday, where she will choose one of my older videos to comment on and re-introduce to our Facebook groups. We'll all get into the act by showing photos of stuff we've tried with those techniques or even just something we made long ago with B'sue Boutiques products or even something we sold and wish we had kept. It will be an informative and inspiring romp and one we will all enjoy....so...
if you have not done so yet, you SHOULD join us at the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group at Facebook which is FREE and one of the most encouraging learning and sharing jewelry making groups on the internet. Not only do we share our work, but we share our hearts and our lives, we brainstorm new ideas and work hard to keep one another focused. Consider this your personal invite to join us!
But I'm not done yet!
The newest member of the Design Team is Jann Westlake Tague of Clever Designs. Jann loves beading, assemblage, cameo jewelry and polymer clay:
I love how she combined that bit of filigree with the clay focal...and a few colorful Spectra beads!
Jann also serves as an admin for the group, host for Not Your Mama's Jewelry Box and the Sunday Earrings Challenge.
Cynthia Wainscott of Exotic Peru found me as a young bride, newly arrived from Peru to Utah. It was on You Tube! Somehow she found the silly, wonky old videos comforting and enabling. Filled with a desire to create, create she did!
Here is a beautiful cuff she made layering pretty filigree from B'sue Boutiques with the addition of soft color:
Cynthia is also great with sculpting clay and made this focal for me as a gift:
I placed in the front of one of my inset cameos:
So this is a combination Cynthia-B'sue piece, LOL
Last but never least is my dear friend Beanzie of The Vintage Heart. Beanz and I go back many years to my early Ebay days. She collected many of her signature pieces for her amazing charm bracelets from my offerings. I have featured her spectacular, collectable bracelets on many of my newsletters. Beanzie always has my back and has always been there to offer incredible moral support as well as great new ideas. She takes a quiet back seat as she prefers it that way, but many are the hours she has spent with me offering her thoughts and assistance.
I've truly only skimmed the surface of what these brilliant designers have done as artists. Their work reaches new levels constantly and I am proud to say that I feel most of them have probably passed me up already as far as pieces made and new ideas tried.
And that's why they are here as members of the Team. There is a lot to be done in a day's time here in this office: orders, tracking, shipping, bills to pay, Quickbooks entries, tax prep, and a whole lot of writing besides engaging folks online. There comes a point where certain folks step up because they see a need; they realize work needs to be delegated and that you can keep a good thing going by yourself for only just so long.
Thanks to them we can all look forward to continued new ideas, teaching, encouragement for YOUR artistic growth.
That's what this community is all about. The components, stampings and findings are all the best you'll find and we love to play with them and share them. But in this world, PEOPLE are the real jewels.
I am so blessed to have so many I've met through this business who have become part of my heart. I couldn't begin to mention or thank them all if I tried, though over the months ahead I do hope to feature more of the incredible artists that frequent our groups and tell their stories on my blog.
Thank you ALL for being the jewels in my crown! Let's jump in and get the work done TOGETHER!
But the goodies of which I speak are those I promised on my blog-a-palooza last week. That was the post where I asked if we could get at least 30 people to post on their Facebooks or blog about B'sue Boutiques
I was so pleased, we had far more participants than I'd even asked for!
SO....DRUM ROLL PLEASE:
Elizabeth Hildreth wins the $25.00 certificate and the mini muse in the mail
and
Sherrie Farmer wins the $15.00 certificate and the mini muse in the mail.
I just need some addresses and will send them RIGHT ON OUT to the winners!
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH to all those who regularly help us get the word out about the free You Tube content, and also who tell their friends about the B'sue Boutiques website.
The best advertising is sincere word of mouth compliments.
We appreciate it so much when you care so much and post on our blog or on yours, or share us on social media.....many times when we aren't even handing out contest prizes. You're the BEST.
I've been making instruction videos to share my creative findings with you for a little over four years now.
We started off boldly in a very messy, cluttered, undecorated workspace in the basement of my home. In time, we graduated to a better version of the same, part workshop, part video set.....a bit more organized, but hard to light and without the use of a good editing program to make the videos be what they needed to be.
In November of 2012 we moved to our own building and a nice sunny window. Still, many adjustments had to be made. We got a new camera only to find out you had to move and use it just right to avoid blur. We experimented with technique and lighting and a new editing program. Finally the videos started to be more what we needed them to be...
And I added guest instructors like Kate Mulligan from Mulligan Stew, a member of the B'sue Boutiques Design Team, and Donna Parry, one of my assistants here at the shop, a fellow jewelry maker and my sister in law for almost 39 years.
Last week we were emboldened to make a video very close to our hearts....about ADHD and the artistic process. If you have not yet seen it, you might want to take time for it:
ANYWAY....long story short, I've got about 108 videos up covering everything from how to set a rivet to make an assemblage necklace, to fiddling around with polymer clay and twisting wire to make a 'beady-charmy'. We've also talked about vintage jewelry and whether to repurpose or not repurpose.
My purpose in making these videos with all their little wonky ways, lack of script, conversational manner (some like that, some don't) is to SHARE for FREE the stuff I've figured out during a long journey making jewelry, now for a good 27 years. Also, we sell the *good stuff* you need to work in the mixed media/assemblage/vintage style at B'sue Boutiques SO! Why NOT share?
I'd love for MORE people to know about what we do as it's truly been very helpful to so many. I get lots of letters and comments about the videos and have met so many great friends because I was brave and just put it out there, imperfections and all.
SO.....I NEED YOUR KIND ASSISTANCE.
Please tell your friends about my YOU TUBE channel, or if you would rather, about my website, http://www.bsueboutiques.com
Just post a link to a favorite video or a favorite product from the website along with a few kind words on YOUR! Facebook page, or in one of the Facebook groups YOU! may belong to that allows links of this sort...maybe one where folks don't know about us. If you like to blog, do a little blog post if you have time and link a few videos. Don't post your fave here---post it OUT THERE, in the social media world. Thanks!
THEN: Just leave a comment here on this blog along with the URL ***where you posted the link*** That way I'll know you shared.....and I can enter you into a drawing for a 25.00 FREE SHOPPING PASS to B'sue Boutiques
I have to have THIRTY valid participants by next Monday (March 31, 2014) for this to work, so ask your pals to play along, too, would you? I've given a lot of myself---and I enjoyed every minute of it! So....if *you* like what I do, I'd really appreciate a shout out.
With thirty participants I will send one 25.00 pass and one 15.00 pass made out to the persons who win the drawing, in the mail....ALONG WITH A MINI MUSE PACKAGE....a goody bag on steroids!
If we get bunches and bunches, I may well send several. Be sure you've sent me a friend request at Facebook so I can get in touch with you and get your address if you win!
We keep dancing, no matter what. We want to keep you dancing and happy in your jewelry making art, too. It's our passion and we know it's yours.
Together, we share our passions with the world.
For those who don't know, our little company started about 27 years ago when I took 20.00 out of my cleaning money, perched Jordan on my hip and went out to find something I could sell and turn that 20.00 into 40.00....
He's 29 now...and he still works here. He has an associate's degree in business administration. After working for a popular grocery chain here in Ohio, he decided to come back home, fully learn Mom's business and slowly start lightening her load so she could concentrate on keeping us all dancing...creatively.
He's the nice guy that answers the phone and takes care of all customer service issues and questions....and is head of our shipping department.
One day, HE will be the face of B'sue Boutiques. For now, I am.
We are a family business. Those two silly ladies in the first photo are dancing to BeeGeesdisco music back in our shipping area. That's Shelley on the left, who has been here with me since 1999. She has been through many rough times with me and is fearless.
Donna is on the right; she's my sister-in-law for over 38 years. Donna likes to say we grew up together.
Donna started with me back when I was still using that 20.00, cleaning houses, both living in mobile homes one next to the other, out along a country road.
Now she lives on a large farm in an old farmhouse built in the late 1800's. I live in a kitschy little ranch house built in 1950, on the outskirts of our little town.
Here she is helping organize our new shipping area the day we moved to our current location in July 2012:
Our paths separated, career-wise, for quite some time, but now they have merged again. Her son, Rob, works here and has made most of our videos:
The lovely young lady he is dancing with is his sister, Andrea, who used to come and help us separate parts for inventory once in a bit. She got married last November:
And now Javi works here, helping me make jewelry, helping us with the shipping and some inventory tasks. Because Rob has another job most of the time, she now makes the videos:
She made the bracelet she is wearing and loves to make pretty earrings:
Javi was born in Chile. She is Rob's girlfriend and part of our family.
Lauren is Jordan's wife and she has been with us doing the shipping and Etsy uploads since they got married in 2007:
Via our videos and the group at Facebook (do you make jewelry? You can join, too! As of this writing, we have over 1900 members and a lovely community!) many have gotten to know me. Some call and say they have seen every video....if you've seen them all (there are 104 as of today) you know our journey. In the last four years we have gone from a pretty rough basement workshop to a better basement workshop to a brick and mortar store:
This was taken the day we rented the building.
My passion is to start creative souls on a journey that will lift them up, through good times and bad. I never thought I would make a lot of money at this vocation, and I never have. What I have is the pleasure of YOUR company, watching you grow as you take the ideas I throw out there....and FLY with them.
And I get to work with my family and my only child, my son, Jordan, every day. We are all doing what we love.
Yesterday Donna and I made a video on tissue decoupage over brass stampings:
Our videos are different than many You Tube tutorials.
First, while there is more prep than you might think to get ready for the videos, they are totally unscripted. When I start, I have no idea for how long the video will be. I can't bear to do a wooden, scripted video. All I can do is show you and talk to you as if you were sitting there with me. I give you the basic ideas and show you the basic techniques.
Yesterday we had a crazy good time and were a little off the wall.
Other times, we are more serious.
Javi is using a tripod now with the camera. She has found some better ways to keep the blur out of the frame. She is also doing a great job of editing them, including SKU numbers so you can access the pieces we used, if you would like to, at B'sue Boutiques
You would pay for most lessons the length of our videos. BUT: since we're using our stuff and showing you what to do with it, I have resisted the idea of asking anyone to pay for video instruction. We feel that enough people will appreciate the effort and want to use the items we used...and will visit us at our website
So far there are almost a million and a half views on those videos. Somebody must like them.
