the currency of trade

ok, ok, i know i have been absent from posting for a few weeks - but i'm a grad student now and school has pretty much taken over my life! also, my family and Trevor were in town and i was incredibly busy. ANYWAY...

i recently made a connection via Instagram (only the best social media app out there - photos galore!!) with a sweet chica from California who crochets and makes really awesome things. see, part of the magic of Instagram and other social media outlets is the hashtag. i think i'll have to devote an entire post to hashtags and their capabilities another time. so i found this Neena and mentioned on one of her photos of an item that she made that i would love to trade if she liked any of my own creations. lo and behold, we connected again via Etsy and now the trade is in progress! i make her 2 custom pairs of earrings and she crochets me a super adorable cropped sweater vest.

Neena's custom leather fringe and chain earrings, by bohobetty (me)

now that i've found how easy this can be among artisans, i made a note of it on my etsy page so that if other creative people like my jewelry but are tight on cash, we can both benefit by making a trade for equal value. just like that, we eliminated the need for dollars AND we are supporting one another as artists. this sounds familiar, yet not quite mainstream...more on the co-operative model is to come!

betty hits facebook

after much prodding by friends and consideration, i've decided to take betty to facebook and create a page for my jewelry/accessories line, Boho Betty. check it out!

https://www.facebook.com/bohobettyks?ref=hl

Like the page for more about rad Bettys, new stuff and all things awesome. thanks for your support!

organizing betty jewels

if you're anything like me, you are constantly digging through multiple piles/containers of jewelry to find the pieces you want to wear at any given moment. my biggest annoyance is untangling the many long necklaces i own (for an idea of my style, check this out) whenever i want to wear one or more of them. the other day i remembered that i had seen something easy to make, with few materials, many of which are probably already lying around your house. i'm talking about a super awesome necklace organizer, made of a tree branch, nails and string.

my materials: found tree branch piece, heavy-duty string,
nails and a hammer

be sure to find a fairly thick tree branch that will be sturdy enough to hold the weight of your jewelry and also hang from the wall. if you have nails lying around somewhere in your house, they can be 1.5-2" long, or head to your local hardware store to buy some. also be sure to use a strong, thick string that can hold some weight.

step 1
decide how many nails you want to use per necklace hanging section. mine has 4 but if you use a slightly longer branch you may be able to add 5. any more than that and you risk putting too much weight on the branch so i recommend you be a little cautious. next, start aligning the nails so they are evenly spaced throughout the length of the branch.

all nails hammered

step 2
start pounding!! hammer each nail in carefully so as not to break the branch. be sure to leave enough room on the ends where the string will be attached and the branch will hang. after you've hammered the necklace hangers, attach one nail on each end (leave about 1 inch).

step 3
wrap one end of the string around the branch and securely tighten a knot around the nail. do the same on the other end so you have a piece to hang on the wall. it should form a triangle shape.

                                                      step 4

hanging on the wall (sans jewels)

hang the piece on the wall, and get to organizing those necklaces!! hang those jewels, girl!

crafting is art

in the past year, my love for my own art and creativity has grown immensely. through my creativity i find an inner calm (also found through my yoga practice) and i feel accomplished for making something new.

a taste of my workspace

though i do use some new materials like chain and leather that is harder to find in large quantities recycled, i prefer to use recycled beads, pendants, pieces and parts for my jewelry. this has become popular in the past few years as we try to be more resourceful, and it's called 'upcycling.' i've posted about upcycling before, and lately i've only collected more and more pieces to use and make new again.

100% upcycled earrings made with
hoops, glass beads and chain

i'm still listing pieces on my etsy and hope to soon show my work to a larger audience through a trunk show and networking. if i can reach even a few people and share my art, that is based on making old things new again, i will be happy. check it out and spread the word! my pieces are for anyone and everyone, but mostly for us betties everywhere.

Betty etsy

currently i'm in the midst of setting up and promoting my very own Etsy shop, Boho Betty - KS (BohoBetty was taken already, hence the initials at the end of shop name). since i've been crafting so much and feeling proud of all the merchandise i've made, i decided to open my own Etsy shop to sell my pretty things. for those of you who don't know about Etsy, you should probably get to know about it. check my page out here and feel free to share with others. i've listed only a few things so far but i am very excited to create more jewelry next week and gain even more feedback!

have fun shopping and exploring the magic of Etsy!!