I’m home now.

Today was a really good day.  We had one big reorder from an awesome store in Buffalo, NY and a new order from a longtime favorite designer who recently opened up a flagship shop in Ashland, OR (I cannot even tell you how excited I am by this).  Brand new designs are well underway, lots of new spring-inspired pieces to sell at the big Crafty Wonderland sale on Saturday, really really editing the current shop to make way for new designs, and the day-to-day customers who make our days.  PLUS…a few new top secret things that I can’t tell you yet, but that (if they happen) will be stupid good and ridiculous cool.

But still…I found myself in the studio at the end of the day, staring at website after website, stores, designers, etc…wondering why I couldn’t be that good.

pitiful. nasty.  NASTY.

I don’t even know how I got there.  I was so excited about the new account in Ashland, so how did I get there?  And why was I looking at this amazing stuff wondering why I’m not that good?  Why can’t I look at it and think—simply—-that is so inspiringly amazing.   It was a wormhole of self demise, while it could have been a wormhole of burgeoning inspiration, blossoming ideas, colors bursting, celebrating others, YAH! POW! BANG!  So, in an effort to alleviate myself of this ridiculous waste of energy and time, I’m spending this post looking for things that I simply find—unstoppable.  It’s an exercise in kindness.  to you and to myself.

Here is what I found.  Please click the pictures to see more of their beautiful work:

Anja Verdugo for Collette Patterns (all awesome Portland folks).

Alyson Fox

Anna Joyce.

Lauren Manoogian (I mean, with a name like that...)

Shipping Container Box Office ....just, wow.

Sulu Design's amazing Original Intent Project.

...and the earrings she designed from the photo she took.

Gretchen Jones. New collection. (I'm such a sucker for jumpsuits.)

Jen LaMastra. genius.

Just a tiny glimpse into the things and people and moments that inspire me.  There is so much more where that came from.

Let’s take Thursday and be good to ourselves, no?

xo~betsy

***Song of the Moment:  To Be Still, by Alela Diane***

downy soft beard

BUT.  Clean shaven is kind of great too.  Pilots are clean shaven; we haven’t had a president with a beard since Benjamin Harrison (and who remembers that guy???)*, and Justin Bieber is clean shaven.**

OMG, is that justin bieber?

Such a hard decision.  I will leave it to democracy to choose.***

contemplative and smooth

beard shock

in between and SERIOUS for realz

What do you say? Beard or no beard?

* – Mustaches excluded and if I’m wrong, blame Wikipedia, the people’s encyclopedia.  So basically, it’s your fault.

** – clean waxed?  clean plucked?  just clean?

*** – “democracy” may have been more accurate.  think florida circa 2000.

What a doozy!!  This week absolutely used me up and spit me out.  I have such a problem with getting back in the groove after a break.  I’m wondering if everyone experiences this or if it has something to do with being self-employed.  Without the insane holiday volume, I’ve caught myself with a hanging jaw, staring at the wall with a massive holiday hangover, thinking about…nothing?  OR playing online Scrabble, when I should be organizing my life and coming up with my coolest designs yet.

But with a killer feature, exhilarating rehearsals, my first international boutique order (lookout Dutch beauties, b & i is coming to the Netherlands), and amazing growth, I have absolutely nothing to complain about and I need to get my butt in gear!

What better to increase the pep in my step than Grandma and Cowboys??

betsy & iya earrings, click link to purchase

Sweater:  new favorite vintage spot in Portland…Margaret & Oliver’s

Cowboy Boots: yes I wore these with my wedding dress…Portland Outdoor Store

Wrap Skirt: just down the street from my studio…Folly

Tights: footless navy blue…Nordstrom (I think)

Earrings: yours truly…betsy & iya

Do something wild this weekend, will ya?

xo~betsy

***Song of the Moment: A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger, by Of Montreal***

The theme will be:  things that I would wear (maybe. if I were just slightly cooler).

From Copenhagen Street Style blog.  Man, I love those Scandinavians.

I love everything about this photo, also from Copenhagen.  Helga, Lisa, and all my other Scandinavian beauties—I miss you.  Bring your style back over here and visit me!

YES!!!!  This one hurts a little—it’s so good.  From Style Clicker.

Dirty Vintage.  love it.  From Face Hunter.

…will never be cool enough for those boots.  But Portland might dig it.  From Toronto Street Fashion by way of Shark Vs. Bear .

Cigar Chic.  From 2 Threads.

And this is what I would be doing in my cool outfit.  My travels have proven incredibly valuable…but I’m not finished yet.  I have 2 more days in NC to sell to my oldies but goodies and find new indie boutiques wishing to sell b & i.

In the boots/stripes pic, the only thing I would do differently is sport some rad betsy & iya earrings to balance out the elephantiasis-esque condition of the boots.

Inspired back into bold style, I must prepare myself for another day’s selling adventure.  Raleigh, here I come.

***Song of the Moment: Don’t Hide Away, by Bishop Allen***

A few years ago, a good friend cut bangs for me (had not had them since I was in 4th grade).   It took a little time for me to get used to them, but eventually I cut half my head into bangs because I liked them so much.  I rocked them for about 3 years, in varying lengths and thicknesses.  It was sort of a reinvention of me.  In that time, I finished graduate school, moved, started betsy & iya, fell in love harder, got engaged, married, etc.  big things.  big bangs.

BANGS???

bang

bang

bang

bang

Just the other day I realized that I had accidentally lazily let my bangs grow out.  So much that I’ve seen myself in a different light:  a no-bang light, one that I have not considered in a long time… Like, big grown-up no-bang betsy.

NO BANGS???

no bang

no bang

no bang

no bang

HELP!!!!!!!!  please cast your vote below.  if you have something more specific to say about it, please say so in the comment section.  your cooperation is very much appreciated.

(earrings pictured in no-bang pictures are newly listed in my online shop.  you can click the picture below if you want to purchase.)

Thank you and HAPPY WEEKEND!!

xox~betsy

***Song of the Moment: Weekend Wars, by MGMT***

I ended up at Ether in PDX and settled for a $20 pair of sweet bright aqua (ish) slip ons.  I am definitely happy with these, but the royal blues still have my heart.

(btw, this newest betsy & iya addition would go perfectly with either pair of shoes!)

Any ideas on where to find bright royal blue (or “cobalt”) shoes?

***Song of the Moment: Blue Angel, by Antony and the Johnsons***

hot women wearing my jewelry!

It’s not uncommon that I will get an email from a customer months after they’ve been wearing b & i, just to tell me how much they love their pick.  I can’t tell you enough how happy this makes me.  I tell them and I’ll reiterate here:  it’s that enthusiastic authentic unsolicited feedback that makes this whole thing worth it to me.

pure consumer excitement

I’ve had a few customers send me pictures of themselves or their friends wearing my stuff—like I said, completely unsolicited.  I realized today that I had enough to make a new blog category.

Inroducing:  betsy & iya—on the street.

So, thank you b & i customers, for showing your beautiful selves with your sexy jewelry on!  Please, if you’re a customer and you want to see yourself on here—SEND ME PICS!!!

You.  all.  rock.

***Song of the Moment: I want a little sugar in my bowl, by Nina Simone***

dress, vest, skirt...too much?? NAH.

Here we have some large and fancy brass filigree betsy & iya earrings.

The old cream colored dress with a paisley-esque pattern, straight from my favorite vintage store in town, Fringe Vintage, who now have an awesome online shop on Etsy.

The sleek black vest comes from another local favorite (just down the street from my studio), Folly.

square-gal fancies

Check these filigree fancies out in my shop.

colorful socks, check.

pink, orange, purple and teal socks come from some awesome shop in Arcata, California, like the Porland favorite, Sock Dreams.  The shoes—Frye boots, of course.

outside the sunny studio

Skirt comes straight from the hands of Sarah, down the street, at Folly.  She also has an awesome new Etsy presence.  She ‘em out!

***Song of the Moment: Guns are Drawn, by The Roots***

I have discovered this store and must keep away–the way a fat kid should keep away from cake (and I can only say this because I WAS a fat kid for a moment so I know how it feels…OKAY).  My reasoning is that a fat kid doesn’t really care what she looks like so she’s not really going to try and stop herself from going in for that delicious red velvet cake with cream cheese icing; however, she understands somewhere in her innocent developing mind, that she has some kind of responsibility to herself to take care of herself.  And after she eats her second…or third… or fourth piece of cake, it might not actually feel so good.

Before I went to Vashon Island yesterday (pictures/post to follow), I went in for a 2nd piece of the most amazing stocking cake I’ve ever tasted.  In order to curb my obsession and subsequent sock weight gain, I will reveal my addiction occasionally here, through my OOTDs.

Tonight’s Outfit of the Day is dedicated to one element: those imperfect things that grace my sometimes not-so-rosy feet.

Black.  and Blue.

Oh oh how I love you.

pretty toes.

(look at my little housemate poking his head in.  he’s SO gonna be famous one day.  Stellan Malmstrom, he’s already got the name to prove it.)

***Song of the Moment: Maps, by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs***

Orange Betsius

In all its ridiculousness, I kind of really love this get up.  This is another drooly (good thing)  pick from the Bargain Hunting local-store clearance show I attended at the top of February.  I saw this number and immediately fell in love.  It comes from another new favorite local designer and her flagship store: Idom.  Modi Soondarotok is the name behind the happy color designs.  She was at the crazy show herself and I was immediately taken by her genuine, down to earth awesomeness.  The price tag on this dress floored me.  Marked down to $30, it had been $235.  I DEFINITELY felt lucky to find this gal, her awesome store, and her beautiful designs.  Thank you, Susan, for making sure I wouldn’t miss this gem.

Jailybird? Maybe. (look at those eyes...)

Though a little bit like a girl on the run in a fashionable prison jumpsuit; I mostly just stunned people with my sassy brightness in this one.  This is why I jazzed it up with a large and in charge black patent leather belt with itty bitty white polka dots pushing through.  On top of that I wore my mother’s scarf as mentioned in a previous OOTD, which complemented the brown frye boots (yes, I’m obsessed) and the orange in the dress.  I also added textured charcoal (ish) tights.  I really think you can’t go wrong with wild socks and tights.  My favorite place for things that go under your skirts and into your boots: Sock Dreams on Powell.

Lastly, the jewels.

The chainy wonder

One of my first designs.  This one reminds me of something a royal woman would wear—BUT a free royal woman…like one who wouldn’t wear a shirt with it…and with lots of colors, she would dance.

On the ears:

wise owl earrings

I wore these in teal to offset the softly wild orange.  Here are the colors to choose from:

all the wise old owls

These pictures are direct links to my online shop.  These colorful wisies will be GREAT for spring (or any time you need a wise one near your ears).  Please specify the color you want in the message-to-seller section when checking out.

Here is me in the studio getting ready to fill orders.  kissy poo!

Unfortunately, the following picture is not a direct link to purchase.  I am not for sale:

Orange Betsius goes to work.

Wow, I look so serious in this photo.  I hope I’m gonna be okay.

***Song of the Moment: Orange Blossom Special, by Johnny Cash***