Art on Sunset Booth

With the help of family and friends I got the B Sides Metal booth together. I have a bunch of new ideas for my next show and can't wait.

New Items on Etsy

I am back and in action after recuperating for a day from Art on Sunset bliss. I had a wonderful show. Thanks to all who came. I am now posting again on Etsy and hope to post daily. This new addition was designed with my mom in mind. She enjoys it! I call it Peach and Pearl Blossom.

I have been having a lot of fun photographing my new items and hope to give slight changes to my Etsy shop image within the next few weeks.

Floral Victorian Violets

This piece has exquisite details of patina on stamped floral brass pieces as well as a carved glass cameo. I love the way this piece hangs on when wearing it. The cool colors are beautiful complements to the garden imagery.

Morning Song

This antiqued brass piece is light and elegant. The spring time theme makes for a beautiful addition to blouses and dresses. Hanging from the bottom of the pendant is a sand blasted glass leaf bead. This piece will be featured at Art on Sunset this weekend.

Featured on Etsy Finds and Gift Guides

I was featured in Etsy Finds today and within 6 hours I received over 800 hits on my piece of jewelry. I was also featured in a link for Mother's Day (the Jewelry for Mothers Gift Guides). This is an amazing week and a wonderful time for my business! I am so grateful. This item was the linked item.

Morning Sunrise

Today when I awoke I was thrilled to post new pictures of my B Vintage line. Everyday this week, as I count down to Art on Sunset, I am going to post a new B Vintage piece. Art on Sunset is Scheduled for this coming Saturday, April 25th from 9 am -4 pm in downtown Asheboro, NC on Sunset Ave. I will have over 80 pieces of jewelry with me. Be sure to stop by if you can make it.

These earrings which I call Morning Sunrise are made from a vintage German glass bead and brass. The yellow color is amazing. The earrings are bright, cheerful and perfect for a summer day.

Official Art on Sunset INFO

Art On Sunset is in its third year of presentation. On Saturday, April 25, more than twenty four artists/craftspersons will gather in Bicentennial Parking Lot in the center of Asheboro to sell their wares. This is a juried event, a fact which assures the buyer of the utmost in quality. Art On Sunset will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rain cancels.

The variety and styles cannot be beat. The artists and their media are: Sam Rankin—welded gates and yard art; Mike Shinn—antiqued birdhouses; Mike Durham—metal sculpture; Liping Cross—jewelry; Carrie Magill—jewelry; Geri Coenen—jewelry; Vija Piston—stained glass; Al and Pat Millman—painted children’s furniture; Pat Newby—pottery; Dawn Tagawa Morgan—pottery; Brooke Sides—jewelry; Charlie Smith—nature photography; Ed Rich—painting; Karen Furman—jewelry; Emily Allred—cards; Russ Trogdon and Maureen O’Donnell—paintings, sculpture, and carving; Gail Myers—stained glass; Jane Hager and Melissa Walker—paintings and more; Leslie Cooper—Luca Chocolates; Cori Cagle—paintings and silk scarves; Robert Crutchfield—primitive knives; Dick Hines—wooden toys; Molly Lithgo and Jim Rientjes—functional earthenware and the Asheboro Artists Collective—painting.

This is event is sponsored by the Randolph Arts Guild. Please join us in beautiful downtown Asheboro to shop, dine, and refresh. For further information or travel directions, please call 336-629-0399, write arts@asheboro.com or visit www.randolphartsguild.com.

A Break

I took a small break from posting as I was working on finishing some important additions for my new line B Vintage. I will be posting all this next week. Be sure to check back for new creations.

B Green: Eco Living - Laundry Soap

I for one am a huge supporter of Eco products. My husband and I use all biodegradable and environmentally friendly cleaning products for fruit and veggies (Veggie Wash), shower/bathroom (Method , and Meyers), kitchen and laundry room (Seventh Generation). This week I will be testing a new product from Eco Everyday. The Eco Laundry Soap, featured in this link has been around for 5 years now and is known to be full of "natural green goodness". The soap is made of mineral based cleansing powders, grated glycerin soap and essential oils. The laundry soap is supposed to last for twice as many loads with a high efficiency washing machine. The standard laundry scent is "Sweet Soundtrack," which is a blend of zesty citrus and soothing lavender essential oils. According to Aromatherapists, this naturally anti-bacterial blend is reported to "lift the spirits." I will be sure to let you know how the soap works for me.

If you have tried Eco Everyday's laundry soap or any of the other products mentioned above please let us know what you think by commenting below.

B Supportive: Buy Local - Greensboro, NC

Greensboro, NC has over 100 registered shops on Etsy. With the unique charm of a nicely sized city, Greensboro features a lively downtown with various diverse dining experiences, art galleries, museums and businesses. The city of Greensboro is in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina and is home to over a quarter of a million residents. I have enjoyed Greensboro for the past 2 years and all of its charm (from historic districts to multiple parks and gardens). Some of my favorite artsy stops in Greensboro are: the Center for Visual Artists, Green Hill Center for NC Art, UNCG's Weatherspoon Art Museum, Design Archives, Just Be, Area, and Triad Stage. There are many notable handmade creations from artists in Greensboro. Above are selections from three of my favorite Greensboro Etsy shops.

1. Pretty Birdie's Tumeric Dress by stephanieteague, $185
2. Colorful Tentacles (kinetic mobile) by jfjones, $25
3. Woodland Elf Hat by flowerbaby, $25
4. Set of 4 Tumblers Made from Recycled Wine Bottles by bodhicitta, $35

What other cities would you like to see featured in (B Supportive)? Do you have a favorite Greensboro Etsy artist not shown here? Please share your thougths by making a comment below!

B Creative: Artist Showcase

For this month's featured artist I have chosen Fried Pickles and Sweet Tea. Amy Stewart, creator of Fried Pickles and Sweet Tea is also a full time high school art teacher and works with digital photography in her free time (http://artistic-exposures.com/) as well as creative jewelry pendants. Amy kicked off her Etsy shop last month titled FriedPicklesSweetTea. This shop contains a variety of mixed media painted and collaged pendants, metal pendants and other colorful handmade creations. What I really enjoy about Amy’s Etsy shop is her style of photography used to market her images. Her bright colors help brand her work and create a style that is very unique from other Etsy images. Visit her shop to see her unique creations!

Art on Sunset

BSidesMetal will be a vendor at Art on Sunset fine art and craft show, Saturday April 25th 2009 in the Bicentennial Parking lot in Downtown Asheboro, NC. The Randolph Arts Guild's third annual event will host work by many triad North Carolina fine craft artists. This is a juried event and showcases wonderful work that is reasonably priced and contains many diverse media and techniques. Come by to check out BSidesMetal's new jewelry line b Vintage as well as original customized creations from the b Unique line. I will be taking custom orders to place photographs in personalized photocharms for pendants, necklaces and bracelets. There will also be sterling creations from the b Simple line and cufflinks from the b Manly line. Hope for beautiful spring weather as this event does not have a rain date and is an outside event!

It's About Time

I thought today that I should give this whole blogging thing a real shot. BSidesMetal - my jewelry business has been up and running for about a year... it is a small operation, but I love it. Since starting my Etsy page I have been inspired to create a blog. I have been very lucky to have my original creations in three shows within the past 8 months. In late September - October of '08 I had a show 'Remnants' with fiber artist Jean Vollrath at the Moring Arts Center inside of the Randolph Arts Guild in Asheboro, NC. In December I showed my work at the Center for Visual Artists in Greensboro, NC for their holiday gift sale. This past month I was asked by my friends Amy Keith Barney and Mandy Sloan to exhibit some of my creations in the 'Randolph County Art Teachers' exhibition at Circa Gallery in celebration for Youth Art Month running March 27th - April 17th 2009.

As a very busy high school art teacher I was running around the Triad posting my students work at various venues to celebrate Youth Art Month. It was such a nice treat to see local art teachers exhibiting their work at Circa Gallery. It is quite amazing to see what these Randolph County teachers can do in their spare time: Melissa Walker, Cori Cagle, Gail Dubis, Blair Collins, Jane Hager, Stephanie Soper, Doug Collins, Amelia Wright, Gail Jones, Mary Ellen Robinson, Crissie Little, Gayle King, John Boalick and Brooke Sides.