betsy and iya

We've Moved!!!

2008-12-19T12:17:00.000-08:00

We've Moved!!!

For the new Betsy & Iya blog
plus EVERYTHING betsy & iya, please click here:

I hope to see you at my new blog and website!!!

***Song of the Moment: Goodbye California, by Jolie Holland***

New pics, new products, new Betsy!

2008-12-16T00:22:00.000-08:00

The Daniel Necklace

OMG!!! I'm so excited about my new product shots! I have many new items that I've been waiting to list because I didn't have proper photos for them. Now I do and I want to get them in my online store ASAP! The pictures listed in this post will be direct links to the items in my online store, so shop shop shop if you wish!

Orange honey drips dangly doo-dah earrings

Golden Olden Curtain Hoops

Little Lacy Dangly Earrings

Large Filigree Square Beauties

Today I have used the slick roads as an excuse to stay out of the studio and in the home--to rejuvenate...big sigh. My hands were really pounding from being overworked, I had to give them a day off. BUT they'll be back at it tomorrow or I might have to fire them. New Betsy is now in full effect (though if I don't go to bed soon, I might reverse all of the same-position-on-the-couch healing I've done today). Enjoy the new stuff and lookout for more...I have LOADS!

***Song of the Moment: Unison, by Bjork***

Handmade Bazaar

2008-12-14T08:43:00.000-08:00

Not too much has changed since my last post because I have another show TODAY. I am sorry, so late at warning you, but all those who are able to come out (in this beautiful snowy day), I'd love to see you!

By the way, I am loving the snow. It reminds me of Virginia...(sigh)...

Here is the poster:

noon-5 at p:ear (338 NW 6th Ave.)

I like this postcard they made. It reminds me to look at and admire my own hands. They are so beautifully tough right now...lots of callouses and broken finger nails.

Now I gotta make the last few pieces my hands can handle before unloading time...hope to see you soon!

***Song of the Moment: Early Bird, by the Frames.***

Trunk shows and pantyhose

2008-12-11T11:29:00.000-08:00

I am chompin' at the bit to get the last few designs made for tonight's Trunk show at Phlox boutique on Mississippi. They have a second Thursday deal where the whole street participates. Booze and shopping and DJs--should be a great combination. While I always try to look my best at these things, I have decided AGAINST wearing pantyhose this evening and IN FAVOR OF wearing something more fun (i.e. my tight overalls I purchased in Denmark at Noa Noa, flexible, and still fashionable. Moreover, I'm able to wear more suitable shoes and completely avoid getting footed).

However, since I am trying to crank out some last minute designs, I must leave you with this:

NEW Large Loopy Hoopy designs
Hoops made from old Curtain Rod Holders. These babies are FANTASTIC. I've always loved hoops. I've been experimenting with old CD hoops (more on that later), but came up with these in the meantime. They come in gold plastic and wood wood. They will be on sale tonight at Phlox for $20 AND I'll be putting them in my Etsy.com shop soon!

(Seriously, these hoops are soooo hot.)

Hope to see y'all tonight!! Starts at 6 pm!

***Song of the Moment: I Wish That I Could See You Soon, by Herman Dune***

The importance of Shopping local/handmade/independent

2008-12-09T09:37:00.001-08:00

Working Hands
(Image comes from www.ryanwilliam.net)

I did a show this weekend on Belmont Street (the flier is listed below) and I did really well. It was a double day show and I sold nearly all of my best hits on Saturday evening. I guess that explains why when in my sweaty insomniatic state on Sunday morning, I decided to get out of bed and drive to the studio at 5:30, to make more jewelry for the sale that day. Whoa. That's really not like me. I'm usually barely getting out of bed on time to be on time for my first thing of the day.

As the sun rose outside of my large studio window in my tiny little shop, I felt proud of myself and my calloused hands. Sunday night, however, I was really feelin' it, but not without a huge sense of relief, joy and strength. Hard work yields solid results. It might not happen immediately, but one day, if efforts are genuine, it will pay off.

As I packed up my portable shop, counted my sales, and began the decompression process (which at this point in my career, only lasts a few hours in some cases until I gotta pack up and start all over again), I felt like I understood the concept of shopping local more than ever before. I mean, I get it. I've always understood how it's a good idea and the "healthier" way to live and so on; but I feel that it wasn't until I was swimming in the pool of money and credit card merchant copy receipts I had just thrown on my bed, when I really got it.

That sounds shallow, I know. Really though, it goes much deeper. The fact that all of these beautiful people shopped with me and made me feel great about what I'm doing--besides just paying for something I'd made that they own now--helps me have more money to put back into this community. How cool, right? I feel like I get it now like never before. It's so grass roots:

I think of something that I like and think you might like too. I design it. I build it. I try to sell it. You see it. You touch it. You do like it. You buy it. I take your trade (slash: money) and I use it for something I might like or need, hopefully made by another independent, or sold by a local boutique or local grocery store. Seriously, this concept almost makes me feel like crying. That's how much I get it now.

I also think the more you buy handmade and independent, even if it's on Etsy.com, but in a completely different city, you're still contributing to the regrowth of our society in a healthy, "organic" kind of way. I mean, you KNOW where your product comes from. You know the process, more or less. You know, for example, that Betsy Cross is the designer and that she or people close to her (not in china) are making the things that she's selling and you're buying.

(In the same breath, I also understand the concept of being poor. The big box stores cater to the poor better than any of the rest of us sometimes; and I even have to subject myself to them for certain things. BUT if you take the time and do a little extra research, you should be able to find pretty awesome deals independently and/or locally. It just takes a little bit of patience and adjusting. Also, it doesn't hurt to check out second-hand stores for more boring things you need before you head to buy something new at IKEA (and believe me, I love IKEA...it's a really deep love)).

In conclusion, then, I would like to send a little tap to the booties out there-- just a little encouragement to try something new (if you're not already), with independent designers and buying locally in your own community. Mostly though, I would like to say a HUGE thanks to all of the people who have supported me and continue to support me through this independent endeavor. I feel so grateful and in awe of the kindness and love that abounds around me. My heart is warm and full and glowing because of you.

***Song of the Moment: Clouds Will Clear, by Aislers Set*** (can't find it on itunes, sorry dudes)

Yo y'all...Come out Come out!

2008-12-05T13:50:00.000-08:00

2 shows this weekend, 2 sides of the country:

Pennsylvania:

WHAT - Odd Ones Holiday Craft Show - at the Old Bank on Third Street across from the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg, PA.

WHEN - 11-6 Saturday, December 6th

WHO - Ask for Ooh La Jena, she's in the Community Room selling lovely pocket belts along with Betsy and Iya Jewelry

Portland, OR:

That's:

Koipod
3442 SE Belmont St.
Saturday, December 6, 6-10 pm
Sunday, December 7, 1-7 pm

Hope to see you there!
-betsy

***Song of the moment: Baby, It's your life, by Benji Hughes***
(Okay okay, I know I have already listed a Benji Hughes song in an earlier post, but I'm a little obsessed right now. I'm in the infatuation phase with this album...so I bet there will be more moments with him..mmmmm).

Footed

2008-12-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

Before: The heely dream-------

Last night my wares were on display and for sale at the CRAVE shopping party. Some of my favorite parts of the evening include: meeting other great vendors, admiring all the talent and hard work, making sales, people watching, playing dress up, women in general, bright pink fuchsia scarves, neon royal blue shoes, overly expensive (plastic) glasses of red wine, Will (my "paid" "employee"), compliments, genuine conversation, and trading for a coupla bottles of exotic sake.

Least favorite part of the evening: getting footed.

It's a new term (brand new, actually, Will and I made it up last night). I don't typically dress really fancily, much less, wear high heels. I'm quite tall as it is and in my world those heely bleeps are more of a pain than a beauty. Though every once and awhile, I like to bust out my hotness from the winter cedar chest of summer protection. I mean, I like to show the world that I can do it too! And it's pure, baby!! Sure, I might be a little wobbly, but I'm capable. I can!

The past three days, however, have been incredibly intense for me. My body has been in overdrive trying to bust out as many new designs and construct as many pieces as my little calloused hands can handle. The awesome thing is that I have some super sweet new things that I've quickly created (like: fat huge hoops made from old curtain rod holders, some new necklaces made from the same, new necklaces from old door numbers (all one-of-a-kind...look out for all these newbies, I'll be posting soon). I've also done a new product photo shoot for a bunch of new designs that I haven't listed yet. AND I'm making rings now!!! Soooooo exciting. That's all happened in the past three days. So...you can tell that I was a little ill prepared to add the heels to an already shaky frame.

Yesterday was a 16 hour day for me. WHAT!?!!! I just counted that and I'm a little stunned myself. I had no idea I worked that much. yikes. I gotsta get a hold on that.

But I WAS brave ...I turned the blinds down in my studio, heated up the hair straightener, hiked up my nylons, put on my smokey look + rouge, threw on my black dress, picked out the perfect jewels (which would change twice through the evening), and finally, slipped on my heels (high boot wedge thingys). That was around 3 yesterday.

By the time Will and I put the last display item back into the car, around 10, I was SPENT and my feet had disappeared...except I could feel them. And I mean really feel them. I kept thinking up powerful images and scenarios, like someone had shot my legs through the bottom of my feet...OR that I had hypothermia in my feet and the feeling was starting to come back, but without any painkillers...man that would be wretched...OR that I was walking on fire, veery sloooowly...OR that I was strapped to a bed where people were constantly tickling my feet and I couldn't escape.

All really great thoughts, but FINALLY I came up with the perfect analogy: I had been SCALPED, but on my feet.

I disclosed my thoughts to Will immediately and felt proud of how perfectly they described my current status. Then I said, "HEELED, I'VE BEEN HEELED"! (and kind of liked how ironic that sounded) But then I realized that only covered one area of my WHOLE two feet whose blood was ready to burst out into a new creek if given the opportunity.

Then he said it, he coined it, perfectly and so cooly, "Betsy, you've been footed".

Duh.

We had a nice laugh about that one and I added an awesome new word to my vocabulary. Hopefully, you all will add it too.

After, looks like:

Feels like:

Thanks, everyone, for getting through that one with me.

***Song of the Moment: Thriftstore Jewelry, by The Bad Plus***

Brand spanking LOVEly sparkly sweet new WEBSITE fun

2008-12-01T12:33:00.000-08:00

(from the most radtacular September photo shoot with Enko Photography)

Today is dedicated to this:

www.betsyandiya.com

You can now order directly through ME. AHHH!!!! I'm soooo excited!

I will keep my current Etsy.com store and start shifting it to only very limited and one-of-a-kind pieces. That way, I can remain a part of the handmade revolution AND offer you my stellar staple goods that flow more readily.

Please let me know your immediate and unfiltered thoughts and reactions! I want to hear it ALL! Thanks so much for looking...

heart heart heart,
betsy

***Song of the Moment: Breathless, by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds***

The Truth Behind the Name

2008-11-28T13:38:00.000-08:00

Quite often I am asked the question: Who is this "iya" (pronounced "eye-yah")?

There is a perfect truth to this answer. She is NOT a figment of my joyously creative imagination (though she does feed it). She is NOT my alter-ego. She is actually not even a co-owner or creator in the business (though she does give me very sound advice on all issues that involve, well...everything). She is not my boss, though pointed out by my dear friend, sometimes it helps to pretend that she is my boss--waiting for me to show up to work on time, to take a chance with my wild ideas that I might be feeling insecure about, to implement a solid business infrastructure so that I might continue on for years, to encourage me to put one more foot forward, to fire me on a design job where I'm not pulling my weight and send me in the direction where I truly excel, to tell me to not give up when I feel like throwing in the towel...basically, the COOLEST boss ever.

The truth is that she is nothing short of one of the most amazing women I've ever known. When I was toiling over the best possible name I could offer my business and the work it highlights, she is one of the first names that came to mind.

When I was a child there was one person who showed me the ropes like no one else, the one person who had my back no matter how insane the situation, the one person who believed in me maybe more than anyone else. To this day she has honored those ideas I always had of her, just by being herself through and through. She handles herself with grace and poise, love and passion. She has the most keen (yet subtle) fashion sense of anyone I've ever known. She has always been who she always was. When I was a mere pup, I couldn't pronounce her amazing name: Ashlyn. So I improvised by calling her, "Iya." When speech proved less challenging for me, I held onto that name, secretly and strongly, in my little heart. She continues to be a major source of inspiration for me. We have grown into our own women selves, both very different and both very beautiful. We have both supported and loved each other on our own paths, without condition. I am eternally grateful for this woman.

I named the business after both of us. I wanted it to be personal. I wanted it to be a reflection of me and my work. I can think of no better way than: betsy & iya.

Betsy is classic, like a part of my designs. Iya is more exotic, like a part of my designs. Betsy is old; Iya is new. Together they are a perfect match. Together they make me feel bigger than I am. Together, I am stronger.

This name is a dedication to my beautiful sister, without whom, I would be less of who I am.

I love you, Iya.

(betsy on the left, cousin jenny in the middle, iya on the right.)

***Song of the moment: Whole Lotta Love, by Led Zeppelin***
(She also had a HUGE influence on the kind of music I would grow up loving. On a rainy teenage Sunday afternoon, you could have found us rocking out to all songs Led Zeppelin on a slow parkway drive. )

FULL Capacity

2008-11-26T11:47:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: After reading this post, you might feel tense. Please go sit down, drink a glass of cool water and take a deep breath. I cannot be held responsible for the stress you absorb. Please don't sue me. The only thing, really, that I could give you are a few pairs of GREAT earrings. You should just buy those for yourself for a self-holiday present and then give yourself a self-highfive. If you want a more delightful post, please scroll down and read another. I really really like you guys. Please come back.

Long delay in postings...I didn't go away, I just got REALLY busy. This is a good thing.

When we first met, my awesome business advisors asked me when I might be at "full capacity". Even though the phrase is pretty straightforward, I really had no clue what they were asking. Today, I understand in the most emphatic way.

Let me explain: I have 7 orders that should leave the studio today. WHAT!?!! SE-VEN (wholesale and retail orders). ouch, but not ouch? I LOVE what I'm doing and I'm really happy that other people love what I'm doing, but man-oh-man that's a big push. These are the moments when one can't be afraid to ask for help...OR just hunker down and bust out some designs (ummmm, around one HUNDRED) like no other.

That's why I'm gonna tune in to the song of the moment (see below) and leave you with this:

Introducing:

The Vixen Reds
(there are more where this came from)

My friend, Jessica, inspires the red outta me. The sexy wild whisper of accessory that can adorn even the simplest of styles will excite and ignite. It's a hint. I named them the Vixen Reds. The pieces are vintage lucite plastic and I've added my sterling silver handmade ear wires in a smaller stretched hoop style.

Funny thing is, I don't really think of Jessica or me as a vixen in the literal sense of the word. We're more like sweet little red hopping bunnies.

But one can't title hot red earrings as "hot bunny earrings"...it's an oxymoron that KILLS its product...a slow ugly slimy mucosal death. I want these products to be red-hot alive!

So jump on this one with me for a moment and be on the lookout in the next few days for a new "vixen" (wink wink) red style listing on my website. If you're a true vixen you'll feel especially powerful in these sexies.

***Song of the moment: Boisa-bis-o-boisa, by Jens Lekman***
(sadly, this one's not for sale on itunes, but I am linking it to another site if you're interested. It's really good stuff.)

The Lipstick Factor

2008-11-21T15:30:00.001-08:00

Today I am nothing but a shower and some rouge. THAT =

(This picture taken from my mac that flips the images. yes, I wrote those words backwards. yes, I made a mistake and was too lazy to start over, so I FIXED it...geez)

I've recently discovered the power of lipstick. I never fully understood before. In fact, I have never really liked lipstick. Sure, I felt pretty when I'd paint my lips in the past, but it was almost a nuisance. Anyhow, we're going way beyond pretty here, folks. This is about strength and survival; this is about saving, well...face.

(Who actually makes this face in real time? I think it's my default picture face, but usually funnier.)

When you're super busy and have little time for yourself and need to be presentable, you might try your little rouge friend. Find your BEST rouge friend and keep her close by your side. I'm telling you, when you've not even had a chance to prepare yourself properly for the day (slash: shower), don't panic. Just reach in your purse, fanny pack, pocket, market bag, bra, etc, and pull out your rouge, carefully apply and with a quick fluff of your hair, bizam!, you'll look like a million bucks. It's subtle, but intentional. What's more: you'll feel like a hot sweet homemade Dutch pancake (with REAL maple syrup) and really that's the most important thing. I've used this factor many times in the past few weeks. It has saved me.

(Please take note of the lipstick factor poking through there in the back. Thank you).

Also also!! Check out my new ring experiment. This one reminds me of the thrifty art finds at the weekend mercados in Mexico City. I'll soon be drawing a bead at the top and sides for a more finished style. Look out for these after the holidays. I'm so busy right now that I can't throw too much newness out there, but I do want to tease you as much as I can so you'll be ready for the real thing.

***Song of the Moment: Heartbeats by The Knife***

Awareness

2008-11-20T12:54:00.000-08:00

(preface: ALL of the images listed in this post come from a site I just found: www.jaylichtman.com. I needed someone else's photos to help me today. New camera coming soon.)

I really love Portland.

Last night Will picked me up on his motorcycle; the temperature was perfectly not-too-cold, the skies clear. When we hit the OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) exit off of I-5, I saw an image similar to this:

I took a deep breath in and fell in love with Portland again. (This happens all the time, btw). The main reason Will picked me up was so I could run here in the morning. Let me just say, this is NOT something I typically do. BUT I got so wrapped up in reorganizing the studio yesterday, that I missed my gym window. Perfect alternative: run to work the next day. Wait...wait a minute...what? WHAT!?!! ...really, betsy?

I live in the SE and for those of you who aren't familiar with Portland, the river splits the east side from the west; Burnside street separates the north from the south. My studio resides in the NW. My favorite way to travel here from my house is by bicycle.

I've lived here for just over 2.25 years, but it was just a few months ago when I discovered the eastbank esplanade. There is nothing like riding my bike on the esplanade to begin my day. There is nothing like ending my day with a bike ride home on the esplanade. The awesome guy who I bought my bike from said that commuting by bike might change the way I start my day. No question. If my day has started a little rough and tumble--drool caked on my face when I've just barely fallen out of bed onto the pile of clothes that are begging for me to clean them--feeling like I want to curse the skies before they curse me, riding my bike to work will always always cure me.

Today I commuted to work by leg. As I was running, I remembered an exercise introduced by an amazing woman, Alicia Martinez Alvarez. She joined us for some time in my second year of Dell' Arte. Her project was to find a new kind of performance with old mexican traditional wooden masks. She lead us through a traning series to "empty" ourselves so that we might take on our masked characters without preconcieved ideas. One exercise has stuck with me and I've used it many times in my teachings. I don't even really know what it's called, but it has to do with awareness and emptiness.

We would walk for hours as an ensemble. We had only one task: to use our senses one at a time and experience our surroundings as they came to us. For example, walking on the levee, if a cow mooed, we'd hear that moo and face the cow and let ourselves experience that moment until the next one grabbed us...trying (but not too much) to only focus on one thing at a time while emptying our busy minds. Quite often, the moments really made us laugh, and then we would have to give the laughing a moment, etc. I think the first time we did this exercise, nearly everyone found tears at some moment. It's almost achingly simple, yet so profound that you'd have to be trying not to feel something from it.

On my run this morning, after the 10th rhetorical question that my brain asked itself, I decided I would do the exercise. I varied the exercise to keep up with my cardiovascular momentum; i.e. I didn't stop every time I sensed something new, I just recognized that thing and let my mind move on to the next. I have to say though, I became aware of many things I had never thought of while traveling on the esplanade today, like:

1) The large red neon OMSI sign sounds like it's about to burn out right now. It sizzzzzled as I passed by it.

2) I am generally a slow runner, but I tend to speed up when passing by another person or dog. I probably feel a sense of competition or pride creeping in.

3) I felt rain and sweat dripping down my face and took a moment to notice the difference between the two.

4) The cool layered door-like structure underneath the Morrison bridge is WAY cooler than I thought.

5) When my brain is clear, people tend to smile and wave hello to me more frequently (maybe it's because I'm actually seeing them). I like that a lot.

6) The cars driving on the streets above me collectively sound like an ocean.

7) I noticed the ground/river seconds below me on the metal grated section of the path. That freaks me out a little.

8) I saw multiple puddles and jumped in them. hard. My feet then became uncomfortably wet.

9) Those pillar things on the floating part of the esplanade remind me of massive white crayons with brown wrapping. Or those random chocolate crisp things that tend to show up around the holidays, this time with a creamy filling.

10) Then I noticed all the graffiti places on the pillars that they've tried to cover up with a terrible match in paint color.

9) The MAX rail running across the upper part of the steel bridge while I was running on the lower part made me feel like I was underneath a landing strip.

10) Then there was the sight of the Willamette river... and Portland on the other side. (sigh).

11) Then I saw 3 dudes cleaning windows high on the outside of some semi-tall building. It made me think of ninjas. They were wearing black and hanging by very thin rope from the very top of the building and sitting on little orange buckets.

(wish I had a picture of THAT one)

12) There were piles and piles of brightly colored yellow leaves.

13) I felt a sense of pride and joy when pushing my goal just a little further every time (okay...run to the end of the bridge now, wait you made it, you're already PAST your goal...just keep going...go past the next block...wait, you've already passed by two...until I had run alllll the way here, to the studio).

14) Birds.

15) The soft smell of food coming from one of my favorite coffee shops, sydney's.

16) The perfect taste of salt on the inside of my rain jacket collar.

16) My breathing. I heard my breath like a drum, the entire way here. Today, that was my favorite sound.

(I have made links out of the pictures if you want to connect to Jay's site. I'm really glad I found such beautiful images to embellish my post today).

***Song of the moment: silence***

Work with what you got

2008-11-18T13:11:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been experimenting with vintage lace. The response has been ...well...exactly how I felt when I finished the first pair: hot hot hot.

(insert (HUGE tangent): That phrase just reminded me of a dance I did in my adolescence to a song called, Feelin' Hot Hot Hot. Wow. How come no one ever told me that wasn't really okay? Making a dance to Pump up the Jam, by Technotronic was more than okay, but Feelin' etc. etc. etc. was more than not okay. That threw me into the world of uncool quicker than the snap of my finger, which was the first choreographic gesture we used in the dance. awesome.)

It's been so hot in fact, that I am already selling out of the first round. This means that I am running out of the vintage lace that brought me the naughty pairs in the first place. Today I've come up with a solution that should buy me some time. Here comes a smaller cousin to the original Normissima Lacy Racy pair that you can still find on my website (only a few left) here. I should also mention (about the originals) that after playing around for a bit, I now add a ring of silver around the bulk of this lace piece (similar to the charlotte's grace earrings) and crisscross it at the top. I also add a load of spiraled silver to finish off and protect the hole at the top.

Again, please ignore the quality of the photos I'm posting now. I'm using the little photo hole (that sounds funny) on my little baby MAC. I'll be investing in a better camera soon. For now, be cool ice colds.

These will be called, the Normitas itas itas. (That just made me laugh a little). Re entertainment and jewelry (previous post), thank you. Okay okay okay, check them out:

Need I say more? At Crafty Wonderland a coupla weekends back, I made a girl blush talking about how darn AWESOME she looked in them. What? It's true. She ended up buying TWO pairs. Boo. Yah.

Look out for my lacy process.

***Song of the Moment: Cheated Hearts, by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs***

Entertainment and Jewelry?

2008-11-16T10:16:00.000-08:00

When I decided to start writing this blog, I wasn't sure exactly what I would talk about or where the ideas would come from. I think it's been three days since I took the leap and made the blog commitment. That has become THREE whole days of stories and ideas bumping up against each other in my mind. Wow. I had no idea my brain was into this.

Here's one: Entertainment and Jewelry

I went to see a friend speak at Ignite Portland at the Bagdad Theatre on Thursday night. I was really impressed with her 5 minute story about dating successfully in Portland. Her delivery was ridiculously sharp, her words witty, her presence magnetic. It reminded me of something (a blessing and a plague) that's been following me since graduate school. Every live show I attend, be it theatre, music, performance art or dance--if it doesn't grab and hold me tenderly, I will analyze it to a slow, creeping, high-pitched tinnitus-esque death. That's why I think most theatre I see these days is just boring gratuitous crap. I feel that most often it is just missing the key ingredient, the thing that ignited live performance in the first place, the thing that without it any meaning or higher purpose becomes futile: to entertain.

(Yes, I have very strong feelings about this). (I wrote a whole thesis about bringing theatre back to the people). (It's good).

On to my next point: jewelry.

What? And your point is...? How? What the...?
Yes, when I started betsy & iya I decided that I would not just dabble in entertainment and consumerism as a pair. Why can't the two be intertwined, I have asked myself. At the very least, I must entertain myself alone in the studio as I continue to crank out new designs. Part of this is accomplished through writing silly descriptor words when submitting each Etsy.com listing. Part of this has been accomplished through dreaming up wild photo shoot concepts and incorporating them into my new website (which has yet to be released...don't worry, I'll let y'all know). And always, I play with the fundamental idea of entertainment when I'm designing new pieces. It's not a matter of whether it's appropriate to combine fun and fabulous, sexy and saucy, hilarious and hot; it's a matter of survival. We women (or men) are more than our sexy facade. I strive to make jewelry that is a reflection of that.

Lately, I've created a new line which I think epitomizes the aforementioned idea. It's called, Shameless Love.

Some are over the top, some are so mushy they almost tickle your gag reflexes, some are just endearing, but all are humorous to me and all are true or have been true at some point in my life. Most of these are vintage brass. Some of them I oxidize and polish to add even more shameless flair.

"Yo Te Amo" means "I love you" in Spanish

"Going Steady" ...see what I'm sayin'!

"I love you" POSTCARDS...if you're not behind me yet...

"I'll Never STOP Loving You." seriously???

"LOVE" in 70s cursive. duh. just...duh.

So, dear readers, THAT was just a taste. There is only ONE pair available on my site thus far, so LOOK OUT for many more to come. If you want to grab those, you should check them out here by clicking this link: AMOUR frenchy love earrings. That's right, those babies say "Amour" in a very retro 70s look. I have never loved a french man, but I have thought frenchy thoughts while loving other men? okay okay... AMOUR earrings and necklaces, I *love* them.

***Song of the moment: Ladies on Parade, by Benji Hughes. (***love love love this one)***

Studio Pictures

2008-11-13T15:50:00.000-08:00

You can definitely tell than I'm a new blogger because I *thought* the first blog I posted included the pictures of my studio that I just took from my computer. Oh well.

I. will. learn.

Here they are now:

After this post, I will no longer be a Blogger virgin

2008-11-13T15:07:00.000-08:00

Hello B.L.O.G. world!

I have been wildly overwhelmed by the new opportunities I discover daily as I continue in this crazy jewelry business I've created. I remember months ago when I was finally adjusting to the whole Etsy phenom, there was a kind woman who loved my designs so, that she asked if I had a blog so she could follow my process. What the? YOU would want to follow MY process!?!!

That was the moment it dawned on me to consider the word "blog" more than something funny created by the wily wily internets. After meeting with a new friend for breakfast and hearing her journey through the blogging world, I figured it wasn't too out of my reach and I needed to grab it before it got away.

That was this morning...

Behold, friends: betsy & iya... in bloggity blog form.

My goals in this blog are to share with the world my inspirations in design--my failings, my successes, my joys, my pains, my pangs--and processes in creation. I might go on tangents. I might take you to parties. I might cry a little. I might pee my pants a little...laughing so hard. I am delighted to invite you into my journey. Thank you so much for checking me out. Good luck. Pictures of my studio to follow (need new camera badly...might do this one from new mac).

***Song of the Moment: Army of Ancients by Dr. Dog***