Betsy & Iya Jewelry

Posts Tagged ‘vintage’

HOTness

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
Sunny Portland is just a step outside my studio...What would YOU do?

Sunny Portland is just a step outside my studio...What would YOU do?

I keep looking for excuses to leave the studio and run outside into the buoyant beam of light blanketing Portland today.  It’s been weeks since it’s actually shone its face and I’ve really missed it.

In honor of the sweet sunshine, I wore a HOT outfit today–inspired by the Japanese FRUiTS street fashion.

FRUiTS cuties

FRUiTS cuties

Okay Okay Okay, maybe I haven’t gone THIS far, but isn’t there something lovely about how carefree they look?   It reminds me of getting ready for “tacky day” in elementary school.  And I mean this in the best way.  I LOVED getting ready for tacky day.  It was so colorful, so unabashed, so free.  It was the one day when you could wear whatever you dreamed up and you wouldn’t get heat for it—rather the contrary, you would get PRAISED because of it and stares you WANTED.  I think this fashion is a celebration of fun and tacky and freedom in style. And they’re both eating lollipops!  Who doesn’t want a lollipop!?!!

Today I channeled the FRUiTS girls for a sunny yellow reflection of beautiful Portland and colorful ME.  Enjoy:

I can play too!!!!

I can play too!!!!

Check out the earrings, too—I just can’t get enough of this bright blue righteous record fun; I’ve been wearing them everyday for the past week.  They make me happy (and they’re only $20…HELLO)!

This is the top: yellow, gray scarf with hot pink roses, bright blue earrings, navy blue undershirt, second-day hair for perfect texture and straightened bangs for added sexy.

This is the top: yellow 80s getup, gray scarf with hot pink roses, bright blue earrings, navy blue undershirt, second-day hair for perfect texture and straightened bangs for added sexy.

Yellow 80s dress comes from the awesome vintage store just a few blocks from my studio (dangerous):  Fringe Vintage.  The sweet scarf comes from a new gem of a store (for me):  Sloan Boutique on 23rd.  The sweet earrings come from ME.  I’ve gotten many a sweet pair of tights and socks here: Naked City on Hawthorne.  And hair is always always done by the artist’s hands of Jen LaMastra at Transform Salon (right next door to me, so you can shop while you get your hair done and THEN you can walk to Fringe Vintage and shop ’til you drop!)  While I’m at it, I might as well mention Folly, one of my other favorite stores near me.  The clothes are awesome, the store is local, and Sarah is a gem.  (She saved me when I had to go see my things go down the runway at Portland Fashion Week and had absolutely nothing to wear.  Seriously, I saw just 1.5 hours before go time and she walked me back to her shop and so kindly opened it just for me, so I wouldn’t look like a fashion fool.  A.mazing.)  Please please please support your local businesses, it’s SO important, now more than ever.

And for the bottom half:

for the bottom: neutral brown and wildly textured tights with the perfect boots...Frye, of course!

for the bottom: neutral brown and wildly textured tights with the perfect boots...Frye, of course!

Now I must get back to this:

work work work

work work work

My studio looks so much better with the new Canon Rebel!  I’m so excited.  Also–I sold a pair of earrings to a fine woman in  Budapest, Hungary yesterday!!!!  I really really like getting international orders.  It just feels…special, somehow.

Here I go!  I’m sending bright yellow hotness, sunshine, and joy your way today.

***Song of the Moment: Sun Giant, by the Fleet Foxes***

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Posted in Fickle Fashion, Outfits of the Days, Perfect Portland | No Comments »

As previously promised, I bring you: the Norma lacy baby.

Monday, January 12th, 2009

Hello dear precious readers and good morning (for me at least)!

Awhile back, I introduced/teased you with the smaller version of the Normissima earrings: the Norma lacy baby.  Though I didn’t have any good pictures for the sweet babies and I had not one iota of a moment to list them in my online shop.  And lately the lace earrings have been getting more attention.  I recently mentioned the Interview by the awesome FB over at the Fabulously Broke in the City blog.  Check it out if you get a moment; I really liked the questions she asked and the Normissimas make an appearance.  Here they are for a refresher:

Normissima sexy lacies

Normissima sexy lacies

I found this awesome 40s vintage lace from a fellow Etsian and I knew immediately I had to turn it into earrings.  At the time, I had been dreaming of mixing old fabric (preferably lace) and metal—and this lace was a match made in heaven.  I carefully stiffen the lace overnight.  I “glue” the fabric in huge batches for efficacy after I’ve cut them into the shapes of my liking.  After I determine what the design needs by staring at it for awhile and then I usually do something wild with skinny sterling silver wire.  My friend Jen, from her killer salon next door, says she loves how delicate the lace looks with the hardness of the wire.  I. LOVE. CONTRASTS.

After that interview, something magical happened…One of my favorite bloggers, Jena, from the Modish blog featured my Charlotte’s Grace earrings along with a collection of other very fine items.  I was SO excited and I’m SO not afraid to gush it out here.  This is what it looks like and if you haven’t ever checked out her blog, you should go over there NOW:

Betsy on Modish

Betsy on Modish

If you love the lacies, you should go for it.  Everyone’s doin’ it!!  As promised then, here are the smaller (more tame) version of the above Normissima earrings.  These are a direct link to my online shop to buy, so –WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?  You deserve to look this hot:

Norma Lacy Baby earrings

Norma Lacy Baby earrings

Norma Lacy Baby profile earrings

Norma Lacy Baby profile earrings

I hope you all have a glorious day!!

***Song of the Moment: Furr, by Blitzen Trapper***

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Posted in Rough Hands, Steamy New Designs, Sweet Sweet Press | 1 Comment »

Work with what you got

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

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***

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Posted in Steamy New Designs | No Comments »

Entertainment and Jewelry?

Sunday, November 16th, 2008
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)***

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Posted in Steamy New Designs, betsy & iya jewelry: The Biz | 4 Comments »