The BALC, or Build a Line Challenge class is conducted once a year, beginning January 9 2019 this year. In this class we learn how to pull our artisan jewelry making into a cohesive line. We think hard about the... Continue reading

"You can do it....if you just try!" That was the advice the Little Tramp was giving Paulette Goddard's character in the movie, MODERN TIMES. The film came out in 1936. It was the last time Charlie Chaplin would appear as this beloved character, a character who cheered a great many people up during the Great Depression. Continue reading

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 her there. It was another time.....a time in my life when there was far less hurry and far more time for reverie. Continue reading

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. 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. Continue reading

I've been doing what I do in a number of incarnations for going on 30 years. In those 30 years, I have made many mistakes. I don't beat myself up for having made them; as the mistakes were made, I've struggled to break bad thought patterns and habits, and turn things around. Sometimes I am more successful at change than other times. As I prepare to teach the Build A Line Master Class again this winter, I have been thinking of a short summary of 'big mistakes'. I think I can speak to these errors well, because I'm guilty of all of them. I have MADE these mistakes. I STILL struggle with a few things. Continue reading

These photos have one big truth in common: Sellers must have a product. Why sure! Elemental, you say! Why is it, then, that so many new designers get tripped up on the infinite number of classes offered and books written about social media, entrepreneurship, and marketing? Over and over I see one after another taking limitless classes on the business end of things....but never getting their product quite ready. I think they have somehow become convinced that they've got to have all of that down, first. Continue reading

It's been such a crazy good time, unearthing all the beautiful old pieces from The 1928 Jewelry Company. Mel Bernie, CEO and driving force behind this beloved jewelry line has become such a friend! He is always finding vintage photos and pieces to share with me. Here and there, I talk him into making the pieces again, so that collectors may enjoy them. Continue reading

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... Continue reading

I'm not huge into resin but I'm awfully glad I'm not afraid of it. I have had some great successes with it and have always enjoyed using Ice Resin more that other resins. Quite some time ago I was introduced to Magic-Glos which is a one part resin that needs UV light to cure. Joy, joy, joy, you DON'T have to mix it and get it right. YES!!! And under the light it will cure in under ten minutes, quite hard. In short, it's an instant gratification type crafts product. Continue reading

Looks like somebody's got a great Work Table Wednesday going on! Well, it was a little more than that. When our friend and polymer clay artist, Paula Gaskill, passed away suddenly just a couple of weeks ago....she left a very important job unfinished. A big wedding was coming up in the family! Paula had promised to make the hair ornaments and the bride's jewelry, as well as other things. Only part of the job was done. The items on the table above are the beautiful roses and leaves that Paula had made to finish the work. After getting over the initial shock of losing her, one of the first things that some of Paula's creative friends asked was how would the wedding jewelry get finished? Only a few weeks remained, and there really was no one in the family to do it. Continue reading

Such a talent our friend, Paula Gaskill, had for making roses from polymer clay. Don't they just look like spun sugar? Masterful at blending color, she could make them in any color you wanted. It brought her such joy! I... Continue reading

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. Continue reading

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?" Continue reading

Once upon a time there was a wistful young girl who had no idea what she wanted, or any idea who she was. Funny thing about that girl, though: she knew she'd figure it out. Life is full of possibilities. There's a line from the move "Arthur" that always struck me. Arthur (Dudley Moore) was a dilatory, spoiled millionaire who drank too much and had to be waited on head to foot, by his trusty butler. He made aquaintance with a common, lower-class young woman, I can't remember her name now or how he met her, but she was played by Liza Minelli. (1981 version) Anyway: he was dumbstruck by booze and having never done anything with his life, and she was dumbstruck by the POSSIBILITIES in life. In one scene they are riding along in his limosine (I think!) and she is looking out the window, into the sky. Eventually Arthur asks her what was so interesting out there. She said: "When I was young, I thought the moon followed me." Continue reading

If anyone would like to join us in getting the word out about the class, which commences January 9, 2017......we would really be obliged! THANK YOU There are still spots left in the class. DO NOT assume the class is filled, 'cuz it isn't, quite! YOU can still come and be a part of this most-excellent exercise. Doesn't matter how new you are to jewelry craft....learning to build cohesively is so important, and the earlier you learn in your journey, the better off you are. Continue reading

Well.....it's about that time again! The application process for this year's Build a Line Master Challenge Class begins Monday, November 14, 2017. I will accept approximately 35 students into class. Alumni are welcome to join us again, and this year we have option for a few who are more comfortable auditing the class. I will accept students up until the end of December if we still have openings so if you still need a bit of time to decide, it's fine. The only thing is, the sooner you sign up, the better your chance of having the choice of theme you'd like to do for your project pieces. More about that in the application blog post, and continuing, below. Also, you must be a member of the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group at Facebook But what IS Build a Line, or BALC, as we call it? Do you know where you stand as far as your jewelry craft experience is concerned? Have you any concept of which stage you've met in your journey? Are you a hobbyist, a maker....a production designer? Do you work in many types of media? If you do....is there one that speaks your artistic voice louder than the others? Have you found ONE COHESIVE LOOK that identifies you and pulls everything you do together? Continue reading

As time goes on, all jewelry makers become acutely aware of the need to pull in and tighten up. They must progress and learn to brand their work by making it recognizable. They need to think hard about who their key customer is and what that customer would want....and how they can provide that for them. That goes not only to the work itself but the way we present our work. This is why once a year for three months, I present the BUILD A LINE MASTER CHALLENGE CLASS. Via this class you will discover there may well be new and better ways to make money with your jewelry design, than what you are currently doing. Continue reading

It's so HARD to get organized to get anything done! So many of us have piles of things we have ordered, or have begun to move around in our work space. And alas, nothing is happening yet. That includes MY work space! Continue reading

Time to introduce the next two-month challenge, troops! The Ebony Black color palette is pure drama. Rich with several shades of cream, chocolate and taupe can be used on the base matte black color. We have a full selection of beautiful matte black brass at B'sue Boutiques from which to select your key focals to build on. Get ready to create! Continue reading

It's easy to begin to think that our creative path is just all leading downhill, especially when things get slow in the summertime. Easy to think that way, not necessarily true. It's probably really going forward....incrementally. The trick is to get it going in a straight line..... Continue reading

Choxie brass is back, and it's a hot design ticket found at B'sue Boutiques Have you tried it yet? If not.....why not join us for the July/August summer palette challenge.....using chocolate brass and these HOT hot-cha-cha colors! Continue reading

Rose Montees are that little something extra that makes a vintage style wire assemblage pop. Originally used in the clothing industry much like one would use sequins or other trims, rose montees were often found sewn onto dress collars or decorated sweaters of the 40's and 50's. Then someone out there found that HEY, they were a great addition to a wire collage, or a caged piece. Continue reading

I'm playing around here today at making a new photo station in my studio. I decided I would like to have one to photo jewelry that I have made, one that is permanently set up down there in the workshop. At the same time it has to be something that's not in my way, taking my creative space. I have a nice mannequin, just a half body to the waist, that I picked up when a store went out of business. Fits on my counter just right, and it's fun to dress up. And it swivels, too! Continue reading

My favorite piece of vintage jewelry is this lovely Miriam Haskell brooch. It has provided many an inspiring moment for me, ever since it came into my possession almost twenty years ago and is a beautiful example of cagework beading, using wire. Cagework beading, or vintage assemblage with wire is a way to use beads, bibs and bobs by attaching them to plated brass filigree with 28 gauge plated wire. Here are some I'd been working on....none are finished: Continue reading

Are you drooling yet? 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. Continue reading