Betsy & Iya Jewelry

GIVEAWAY: The Handmade Marketplace

February 20th, 2010 by Will Cervarich

(Betsy is in a best selling book!!  Leave a comment after this post to enter in the GIVEAWAY of the book + an awesome discount to the betsy & iya store!  Winner will be announced on 2.27.10)

I’m a lucky guy.  I’m married to an amazing woman.  I probably don’t have to tell you how amazing Betsy is, but just in case you’re new here:

She’s built a business from nothing in 2 years.  She’s got this incredible knack for following her gut to beauty, humor, truth, and the more than occasional perfect pair of earrings.  I don’t think I’ve met anyone else who’s more well liked by more people in less time.  She’s magnetic.

Well, my good fortune doesn’t stop with Betsy; my friends are pretty excellent as well.  I met Kari Chapin in quaint Montpelier, VT during the summer of 2004.  In fact, she was my boss for a whirlwind 3 months of creemees, mint juleps, Grimm fairy tales, late nights, and early mornings of yard sale hopping.  Yeah, she was a real slave driver.

Czar Chapin lays down the law

I introduced Betsy and Kari right before Betsy and I won $75 in nickels in the loose slots of Atlantic City.  Since then, Betsy’s begun making her living in the handmade marketplace and Kari’s written a book about it (not just about Betsy).  The Handmade Marketplace: How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally, and Online is the current top seller at Powell’s, and in three categories on Amazon.  Kari basically walks you through how to be Betsy (and many others like her) in 218 pages.  It feels good in the hand; it’s got Kari’s joy, optimism, and hard-(and fun)-work-will-pay-off ethos on every page in addition to thoughts, tips, and inside advice from heavy hitters in the handmade world (Betsy is on pgs 50-51).  I’m so proud of Kari.  This book is fantastic.  But you don’t have to take my word for it…

Well, Betsy wants to brighten your day and de-blight-en your bookshelf (I know, I have a way with words) by giving you your very own copy of this gem!  We’ll mail the book out to one lucky commenter (haikus about Vermont summer days are encouraged.) Be sure your email address is valid so we can find you if you win.  We’ll pick a winner at random on Saturday, 2.27.10, so comment away until then!

Thanks for sharing your blog with me, Betsy.  xoxox

Tags: , ,
Posted in Guest Posts, Handmade Revolution, betsy & iya jewelry: The Biz | 36 Comments »

Today and Me = a boxing match.

February 18th, 2010 by Betsy and Iya

This is a fierce one: the calm, grounded, happy me on one side battling it out with the tear-through-the-studio-leave-everything-in-my-wake-turned-upside-down terror on the other.   It’s amazing.

Found these items on Etsy to help express how I’m feeling:

These Vintage Boxers from Xander Graphics

The Fighter, by Tony A Engel

Cat Fight Buckle by Alaska Gadgetry

Toilet Fighting = funny

Bears Fighting, by Dan Bob Thompson

With that, I better get on with this battle, so I might actually get some work done today.  yikes!

***Song of the Moment: Fighting on the Stairs, by The Frames***

Tags: ,
Posted in Handmade Revolution, Today and Me | 1 Comment »

Outfit of the Day: picking berries at prom.

February 17th, 2010 by Betsy and Iya

Last Friday, I spent the evening at one of my faves–Radish Underground, making custom jewelry for folks and having a grand old time.  Gina’s husband, Ammon, grabbed my camera for a moment and I took to the stage.

It comes out of that place of being slightly uncomfortable, but once it’s there, it just goes wild…

there it is.

and then it sort of takes off.

and once it’s going…

…it would be MORE awkward to turn it off…

…so we let it play out.

and see where it takes us…

The best is when we figure we can take a stab at those ridiculously unbecoming model poses.

hmmm…  it’s the face.  if the face is wrong, it throws the whole thing off.  The expression is key.  Look how I NAIL it in these last few pics.

yes.  if you hesitate, you’re in trouble.  it’s all about follow through, folks.  and then you’re smooth sailing—picking berries at prom.

Boots:  Portland Outdoor Store.

Textured Tights:  Nordstrom.

Vintage navy blue slip:  Folly.

Ocean Dress: Stewart & Brown.

Cowboy Shirt: Vintage shop in NY.

Glasses: Amy Sacks.

Sassy Hoops: betsy & iya.

I hope you all have colorful and productive Wednesdays in your own ridiculously awkwardly awesome model poses!  (If you choose to do any, please please take a pic and send it my way.)

***Song of the Moment: About Face, by Grizzly Bear***

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Outfits of the Days | 3 Comments »

The Workshop: coLLABorations.

February 16th, 2010 by Betsy and Iya
(picture I took of Maple XO pieces from Radish Underground event …Love Is In the Air)

It turns out that my Old Turns New line is super popular; I never even had the chance to add most of them to my online shop.  I have nearly sold out of the pieces I created for the Junk to Funk show and subsequent holiday events.  Radish was a HUGE champion of that work during the holidays and after…and I’m so thrilled by it all.  This line has shocked me out of ANYTHING ordinary—and i LOVE it.  I can’t wait to make more.

In the spirit of sustainability, I’d like to introduce two folks whose work embodies that idea.   Two folks who truly inspire me and who I’d like to collaborate with one day:

1) Isaac B. Watson and his amazing Focal Length Designs.I WILL own one of his rad cuffs one day.  I am awed by his creative, agile mind and his infectous, positive attitude.  Every time I see him, he makes me feel happy.  Isaac and I have already been cooking up some steamy yum ideas together.  (Remember that men’s jewelry line I mentioned…???)

speaking of collaboration…check out the amazing project he’s working on with Etsy and local art school PNCA:  I Heart Art, Portland.  I’m sad that I won’t be able to make the opening meet ‘n’ greet on February 26th, (because I’ll be at the OLYMPICS..what!?)…but YOU should definitely go!

2) Lindsay Jo from Maple XO.

For 5 years, Lindsay Jo (a super betty skateboarder), has transformed old, otherwise useless, skateboards into fine fine pieces of jewelry.  I looooove the bangles she makes!  We sat next to each other at the Radish Underground event, where we were making custom jewelry for Valentine’s Day and well…we sort of…fell in love (in a fellow-crafy-jewelry-maker-on-valentine’s kind of way).

I’m so excited about the possibility of working with these two geniuses one day.  I’ll definitely let you know when the magical meetings occur.

In the meantime…Happy Tuesday!

***Song of the Moment: The House with Two Front Doors, by The Finches***

Tags: , , ,
Posted in betsy & iya jewelry: The Biz | 3 Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »