Hi. I am Brandy... sometimes I write a blog...

Finally! An update...

  So much has been going on lately. I haven't really posted in over a month mainly because I have been traveling for shows and busy with orders...

  I had a big blog story all ready to write after we finished Renegade in Austin. But, a day after that show is when the tornado hit our neighboring town, Moore, OK.
My blog post about my trip to Austin seemed so irrelevant. I didn't feel like anyone cared about the amazing artists I met at Renegade, or the cute dress I bought while shopping on South Congress the day the storm actually hit.
  I know all I could think about were the lives that were lost, the people that were displaced, the animals, and all the missing and unaccounted for people. I was obsessed with listening to and watching the news. Matt finally had to turn it all of for a few days.

  As soon as we returned, the day after the storm, I designed this necklace with the intentions of donating all of the proceeds. Orders started pouring in! 1 here, 3 there, a man in CA ordered 6! Orders came in from all over the country. After I send off the orders I have ready to mail tomorrow, I think I will have made around 56 necklaces! I mailed the first donation check for $1310 off to the Moore Red Cross.
  I did a lot of research on who to donate to... I might have even obsessed about it for a few days... I called the churches, the animal shelters, and the Red Cross. I felt like the donation would be best used at the Red Cross so that was my final decision. I am still deciding where to mail the second round of donations so if you have a suggestion please let me know!
I have enough chain (which I got donated from one of my suppliers) to make 4 more necklaces where 100% of the proceeds will be donated. After those sell I will be donating 50% of price of the necklace.
  I'd also like to give a big shout out to my former assistant, Roshni Roberts. Roshni willingly donated her time to make the first 40 necklaces! I was traveling for shows and she stepped up and got them done while I was gone. Thanks Roshni!


  After our trip to Austin (which was fabulous by the way, I will try to blog about the artists I met soon!), I was home for a day and then left for Arkansas for shows and a weekend in Little Rock to tie up loose ends. I got to meet with my landlord to look at the space I will be renting for my studio on Main St. in Little Rock.
  This was very exciting! Except, the building is till very much under construction... he is still hopeful that I will move in at the end of August though. We shall see. In the mean time I am trying to figure out a temporary space somewhere in LR so I can keep working through this move. 

Outside of the "Arkansas" building, where my studio will be housed!

Very under construction... but this is the corner I will be in!

   So, I set a move date yesterday. We will be packing up the Uhaul on July 2nd, driving to Little Rock on the 3rd and unpacking.  My Grandparent's will be celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary on July 4th in my hometown and you know there is no way I'd miss that party! July 4th is Matt and I's wedding anniversary too. Except we are only two years in!  

  Things are kind of quiet in the studio at the moment. I am spending my time keeping up with wholesale orders and all my other free time I am working at my waitressing job to make extra money for our move!
  I hope to start packing up my studio and sorting through old materials and other goods. Watch my facebook page for flash sales. 

Hope you all are having a great summer so far!

Bead Soup Blog Party 7!

Its that time again! Time for another Bead Soup Reveal. I have been really faaar behind in blogging lately so I am going to show of the stash I sent my partner, Lara Lutrick, the stash she sent me, and my final design reveal. All at once! Can you handle it? :)

My reveal photos aren't the best. I had bad lighting on the day I photographed but when I get some more time I will try to photograph again.
This was my favorite Bead Soup swap. Lara is a lampwork glass artist and her lampwork beads were just stunning! 
My necklace design is approximately 30 inches long. It's hard to tell from the pic. b/c the necklace was hard to photograph. I am planning on wearing it to a wedding today! 

Thanks Lara for such a beautiful mix! I have plans for the rest of it when time allows.
And thanks Lori for organizing these blog hops!

Bead Soup I sent Lara:

Bead Soup she sent me:

 

And my Soup Designs:

Las Vegas - mini vacation

  Two weekends ago I got to fly out to sunny Las Vegas to meet my girlfriends for a weekend of fun in "Sin City."  I arrived on Saturday morning and met the girls at the hotel and we set out for 3 full days of exploring. We hit the "strip," Freemont St., The Neon Sign Museum, The Hoover Dam, the buffet at the Bellagio, and so much more. 

  I think my favorite experience was the Neon Sign Museum with the buffet at the Bellagio a close second. Being able to lay out at the pool one day was pretty amazing too!

  Getting away for this quick weekend was such a refresher to my winter blues. I loved getting to hang out in a city with my girlfriends. 

  I didn't think Vegas would be a place that I would want to frequent but dang, this was a fun trip and I think I will go back if the chance ever presents itself. It is a really neat, exciting place.

Beautiful botanical garden at the Bellagio.

Walking around the Venetian after our amazing champagne buffet experience.

Neon sign museum signage.

Inside the "bone yard."

One of my favorite vintage signs. I was really in love with all of them!!!

The infamous Las Vegas sign.

Colorado River.

Hoover dam. This was amazing to see in person! Absolutely amazing!

The feet of a beautiful angel statue that is a memorial to the lives that were lost during the construction of the dam. Our tour guide told us that people rub their feet for good luck while in Vegas. I don't know if they brought me luck but I thought the bronze was absolutely beautiful. The statues had a beautiful natural patina but then the feet were shiny as could be.

I took these pieces of jewelry with me in case I popped into a shop that might want to pick up my line of jewelry... that didn't happen. Vegas is very commercial and I didn't find any little independent boutiques to approach. I am sure there are some there but I didn't have time (or transportation) to scope them out.
But now I have a sweet little souvenir bracelet and I am going to make two more bracelets for my girlfriends that went with me.

Mother's Day - May 12th

  I just want to give a notice (and a reminder) that I am taking custom orders for Mother's Day. I've already had a few come in so I thought this would be a good time to remind the rest of you that Mother's Day is one month from tomorrow. Check out some of the custom "Mother's" necklaces I have completed. 
  And remember, you don't have to personalize the jewelry. I have lots of beautiful earrings, bangles, necklaces, and rings in a good range of price points! Or, gift certificates! To order just call, 479.200.1824 or email, brandy@bellavitajewelry.net

Custom Stamped Bridesmaid Jewlery

Are you a Spring bride in need of jewelry for your bridesmaids? Or gifts for your bridesmaids? 

Check out these personalized, custom orders I have made for Spring 2013 brides.

 

Bridesmaids names + the wedding date!

He is from Canada and she is from Arkansas, red is the main wedding color! This one if my favorite. I think it is a perfect way to thank your girls for representing you and to commemorate such a special union.

Bridesmaid names + the state they are from. Available in all 50 states.

  Bridal jewelry doesn't have to be personalized either. I have plenty of beautiful stones, vintage rhinestones, lockets, and vintage statement pieces to suit any wedding. If you are interested in a custom order for your special day just email me, brandy@bellavitajewelry.net to get started.

Spring Show Schedule

Hi! I finally know where all my shows are going to be this Spring! 

  My show season starts on April 12th here in Norman. I'll be at STASH for the 2nd Friday Art Walk. I am super excited about this show not only because it is in an amazing store but it is also the Preview Party for the Wallpaper Project by the amazing Keisha Register. If you don't know what I am talking about, do yourself a favor and check out the links: Keisha, STASH, Art Walk/Preview Party... 

• April 19 & 20 - I will be at another favorite: Good Things Boutique in Fayetteville, Arkansas
• April 27 - Dustbowl Arts Market/Norman Music Festival in Norman, Oklahoma
• May 3 & 4 - Trunk Show at Chirps & Cheers in Edmond, Oklahoma
• May 10 & 11 - Trunk Show at The Makeup Bar in OKC, Oklahoma
• May 18 & 19 - Renegade Craft Fair - Austin, Texas
• May 25th - Trunk Show at Zarks Gallery - Eureka Springs, Arkansas

I hope to see you at one of my upcoming shows!!!

In other Bella Vita news...
  I have been working with PMC a lot! I worked up and fired my first batch of bronze clay this week. I am super stoked with the outcome. I can't wait to visit my Grandmother in April to make molds of more of her amazing antique buttons. 
  All of the pendants in the following pictures are fashioned from antique buttons or antique lockets. I search high and low for the perfect textured antique piece, make a mold of it, work the clay into the molds, dry the clay, finish/file/tweak the clay, and then fire it in my kiln. After firing I scrub it with a wire brush, and then throw it into my tumbler. Today I am going to see if I can find a material to patina them. I want to darken some of the nooks and crannies. 
  I am also going to turn them into jewelry designs. Off to work!!

Post firing, pre-tumbling.

Post tumbling and polishing. Now to make jewelry out of them.

Arkansas Plans

  Most of you know we have planned to move back to Little Rock since the day we left Little Rock 3 years ago for me and almost 4 years ago for Matt. 
  Well, the years have passed and Matt is much much closer to his PhD - in fact he is ABD (all but dissertation). He is on track to finish up this summer or early fall.
Our lease on our house is up in mid July so we have made the decision that we will pack it all up and move back to Arkansas in the middle of the summer. Chances are, he will have to stay in Norman to finish up his school work and to also teach a semester or two since that will be a paid job. He is actively searching for teaching positions in Central Arkansas, his PhD is in Geography, hint hint - if you know any one :)
He is open to other work too but ideally he wants to teach. I've always offered a job at Bella Vita, but for some reason he wont accept it...
  
  I signed my lease for an Artist Studio on Main St. last week. My studio will come with a space in a gallery that will open that is on the first floor of this big development project. You can read ALL about the "big picture" of the project in these news articles:  article 1, article 2, article 3... All the little details are being released bit by bit. I know that there are a few other artists that have committed to spaces, I don't know names but I know one is a t-shirt designer and one is a painter.  I also know that there will be a restaurant and that the AR symphony, ballet, and repertory theater are considering spaces - some committed and some not. 

The building in its current state... well this pic is probably from a year ago. The whole block is under construction at the moment. I do know that the green awning is coming down!!!

Map of the area... My location is where the red flag is.

  My studio is appx. 260 sq. ft. with 17' ceilings and a window. Since the ceilings are so high I immediately inquired about building a loft to maximize space (putting my Interior Design degree to use). I immediately got the go ahead! So, I have been drawing up plans to configure the space to get the most out of it. 

Floor plan of my studio... it is tucked back in a corner of the building. To the left of the studio wall is an alley that runs parallel to Main St.

  Making the decision to lease this space was difficult and nerve wracking. I learned of the revitalization project one day while I was driving and listening to Little Rocks NPR station. I had to do a lot of digging to find info on the project. Finally after a handful of phone calls I got in touch with the right people. I first looked at a large (appx. 1400 sq. ft.) space and after a lot of thinking, I decided against it. My goals for the past year have been to focus on my wholesale business and I just decided that a large store front would be impossible for me to manage on top of designing jewelry. Jewelry design is the primary focus of Bella Vita and I can't compromise that... at least not yet. I think I will grow into the perfect retail location in the next few years. So, I decided against that space and we started look at others - the developer came back with an 800 sq. ft. basement space and the 261 sq. ft. first floor space with a window and 17' ceilings. The choice was easy! I can't wait to see the finished project. It will pretty much be an blank canvas for me to do what I want with. The studio rental comes with a display area for my jewelry in an art gallery in the building. We are still working out the details of all of that but that will be my main "retail" focus in the beginning. I will also be in my studio working regular hours so my door will almost always be open to clients and visitors. I also plan to participate in art walks and after hour events. Finally a place to host my own events!!! I am so excited!!

  What does all of this mean for Bella Vita? My plan is to keep all of my retail and consignment stores and to expand into more. I view my studio as a production center that people can come to see the latest styles and to just see the process in action. As time allows, I'll still travel to art shows and I will still do Trunk Shows. And of course, I'll be traveling back to Oklahoma City and Norman to do shows!!! I feel like I have finally fallen into a great/amazing/wonderful group of stores and art scene here in Central OK and now it is time to leave :( But, I guess that is the way life works sometimes...

  Nothing is changing here, just a relocation. I anticipate that my production will be down for a good two weeks. I have shown off images of my studio so you know how many millions of tiny little "things" I'll be packing up! The good thing is that it will be in the summer and that is my slower season. 

  I'll announce more details of the "Arts Corridor" as they are released. I know a little but have been sworn to secrecy! I am attaching a picture of the floor plan where my studio will be. I have a picture of the front facade of the building but I can't show it off yet. As soon as I get the go ahead I will. It is beautiful! I think the building is referred to as the "Arkansas Building" and was built in 1899!!!

  And if any of you know of a small, safe, dog friendly apartment/house that we can rent, please pass along the info. Chances are I won't be able to travel to Little Rock before the big move so I don't really know how we are going to find a place but I know it is possible to do all that over the internet and phone.
Mid- July will be here before we know it! EEk!