Button... Button... who has the Button? urbanboutique's French Button Collection

I have had a lifelong love affair with Buttons!

then I added my French Button Collection to my store....

                                 ...and strange things started happening!

 

first people started
looking .... then they 
started using my fun

French Button Cuffs
in their treasury 
collections!

I was absolutely
amazed at all the
button freaks that
were hiding out on
 the pages of Etsy! 

lots of people like me...
who's fondest childhood 
memory was rumaging in
their Grandmother's button box! 

It took me years to figure out how to securely attatch buttons to my leather cuffs!!
 But when I finally did, I wasted no time!!  Dress these fun dramatic accent
cuffs up or down   ... but don't leave home wihtout them! 

when I saw this amazing mod button....
I knew it was meant to be on one of my leather cuffs!
how can something this simple look like it stepped
off the pages of Vogue Magazine!

I first designed this cuff five years ago! ...then the button wasn't available anymore!
I cried real alligator tears.   Then one day scouring a button departartment... I found it!!  

These two cuff designs are the two most popular cuffs in my store on etsy... everyone loves to look at them!

I have discovered that button people are the best people!

_________________________

Stop in and visit ....
with these other incredibly talented button artisans on Etsy.com

vetrinagirl.etsy.com            

by vetrina girl

             

by quench metal works quenchmetalworks.etsy.com

                                                                   

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                          when I was a child, we played indoors on rainy days...

our favorite game was hide the button!

the resident artist

thehandmadelifestyleblog.blogspot.com

Artists Invented ....Marketing in the Neighborhood!

                                    

I see all these new articles
 for shopping regionally to support your 

local neighborhood businesses! 

 ...artists have been applying these theories to their marketing strategies for hundreds of years!

it's so simple!!

    when you live at the beach... you make fish!   

I am a mermaid at heart... and I dreamed of living at the beach.

So... one day the wind blew in the right direction and off I went!

What was I thinking!!

The beach has an intense three month season...

then everything closes down and everyone leaves!! 

... for the rest of the year!

I had to get creative and quick! 
My body demands food & shelter for 12 months out of a year!



I needed to support myself fast...
I looked around town and saw there was a gallery on every
corner and artisan shops everywhere
... so fish it was!!

As usual... I design between my usual attraction for opposites...  

the first fish I did were wonderfully rustic decoys
made  from drift wood with rusted metal fins and tails.

...so the polar opposite had to be boldly painted mod fish decoys that hang on doors saying gone fishing... to thoroughly outrageous fish bar stools and clocks!

my fish had marbles in their mouths...
 and rubber tubes for hair!

...I sold and shipped them from Maine to the Bahamas! 

I packed & shipped a full line of small accessory furniture pieces right in my living room .. that went straight out my front door with UPS!

These were some of my best days! If you read the "about me" sketch on my blog... you would know my roots are firmly planted in my Grampa's woodshop!

This lifestyle was one of my dreams come true!  

  artists marketing today 

have every avenue open to them...

          
              ~ market neighborhood business that you would enjoy doing business with

              ~ sell to high end retailers in the next largest market areas and large cities

              ~ find rep groups to sell to the major wholesale markets around the country

              ~ place a core line in permanent showrooms in your best major markets

             ~ submit pieces to gift catalogues(takes awhile... but it works!)

             ~ open an artisan store on etsy.com  and work up to designing your own website 

             ~ donate to high profile charity auctions to get your products seen and promoted

             ~ donate to regional public radio station auctions and give aways for free press

             ~ write artisan articles for publication in regional and national newspapers

             ~ submit your work to national artisan magazines for publication

             ~ submit artwork and articles to industry publications
             ~ publish on the Internet and get featured on all your friend's blogs!
             ~ and develop a full marketing program for the Internet...

              
                articles~ face book ~ twitter ~ etsy.com ~ blogs ~ networking - flikr   

...and you know what?
... you can still do it all from your living room!
so think globally and act locally still works!

  
   now...if I was going to do it all over again....
I would still go out to my woodshop in my garage...
and start by making fish!

  fish swing love... who could resist?

the artist in residence

                                  the hand made life style blog .blogspot.com

       ______________________

urbanboutique on Premium... Top Quality Leathers

When I first started in business...
a mentor once told me that the quality of my suppliers
would often make the deciding difference between myself
and my closest competitor!... and I listened!




I have always believed in investing my time... and money in finding the very best suppliers I could afford! 

New Listings!

Small cuts of premium cuff leather for crafters!!

It took me three years to find a tannery that made the quality premium leather that I wanted to work with!

When I saw the poor quality of leathers that

   artisans were designing with in the marketplace...

    I knew there was something that I could do to change that!

Hides are sold in expensive full or large specialty cuts...

plus the shipment fees to get them to your door!

 Pretty steep stuff for an artisan who wants 

make a couple of leather cuffs!

... I am now offering small cuts of premium

8oz to 9oz thick natural leather!  

...all my leather cuts are graded for quality 

This incredible leather is so smooth... it looks like paper!

...look at the surface under the chain in this photo!

...this is the actual leather!

 absolutely flawless!

...so stop in and browse my leather listings!

     Jump in and start designing your own leather cuff designs!

        ... it will make my heart sing!

the resident artist

thehandmadelifestyleblog  @blogsot.com

____________________________________________ ...next post

where and how to start marketing your work

think globally... act & market locally!

urbanboutique ... sells leather cuff patterns!

                                                            
              

                                                                             

   

At Last!  urbanboutiquePatterns!

Following my own e-commerce marketing plan for this year...

I have decided that the time has come!

Somewhere in my future I will be organizing my patterns and designs into a book!

In the meantime... I will be listing my beginner patterns for sale in my store!

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Now let me tell you what....

"how to writing" is the hardest thing I have ever done!

... and I mean hard ...long ... and tedious! WOW!

I have done some freelance writing, including more than 20 weekly newspaper columns.  I always wrote my own marketing projects/text layouts and ads...like that! 

 But when I had to write several "how to description vinyettes "  for

Stampington & Company to publish in Jewelry Affaire Magazine...

that's when I learned they were just plain hard to write! 

ZOWIE! ...   am I sure I want to write a pattern book for my leather cuff designs??

... definately going to need a lot of vodka for that one!

It is really exciting...

 to be able to offer my designer patterns to all budding leather artisans!
... I expect to see great things coming from this!

Cuffs & Cuff Leather  

I have beginner patterns and my best natural cuff leather listed in my store.  Next, I am going to slowly add a few intermediate designs... and see if anyone is interested!

...all my patterns have my special assembly tips!

 We just don't have the publications here that 

present these increasingly popular leather looks!

hot tip...

 I have just discovered amazing pattern books from Japan!

...they have amazing patterns for leather bags and accessories. Really fab! 

Check out these fun publications in these three shops    "japanlovelycrafts,  traplett  or  pinknellie" on etsy.com

They all have these great imported

pattern books for cloth & leather bags!

 

Maybe I should start by submitting some my cuff designs

 to these cool pattern books from Japan!

You know... that is not a bad idea! I will keep you all posted!... anyone speak Japanese?

the resident artisan 

the handmade lifestyle blog @blogspot.com

______________________________...next post

talking about how to buy premium leathers

... now available in my store on urbanboutique.etsy.com

                                                                                        

                                



Jewelry Affaire Magazine by Stampington showcases Urbanboutique

           Exposed!

There is nothing more exciting
 for an artist than to see their
work published!
                       

I am incredibly honored that a company like Stampington & Company
choose to showcase mine! 

                         

         

        ask anyone who knows me...

    and they will tell you that if I was

   younger I would move to California

 and go to work with this creative group!

                                   

            An unlimed array of talent is shown on the
pages of their 20 some "how to magazines 
they publish magazines yearly!

                   

          stampington.com 


   ...check out their publications 
   ...actually look into their pages!


    It also gives all the information you need
to submit your work for publication consideration!



As you look through their pages... you will see what a valuable 

opportunity they offer to artisans everywhere

      thank you Stampington & Company!

 

                                               

         

I wanted to share my patterns and some of my secrets to show that even with minimum beginner and

intermediate skills...

you too can design and assemble these fun boutique leather designs!

I will repeat some of my tips & hints

in future posts.. to share the wisdom

and hopefully inspire you to sculpt

your own mod... fab... leather designs!

                 the resident artist
    theartisanlifestyleblog@blogspot.com
_________________
next posting...
patterns & leather .... my next fun adventure!!
                                                                        
check out my next posting....
I am now selling my beginner patterns
and small crafters pieces of my premium leathers!

                thehandmadelifestyleblog@blogspot.com

A lifelong love affair... and a signature design!

               Today this wonderful romantic cuff went off to Italy!
     .... a charming young woman purchased it and is waiting for it!

What I find amazing about working with individual clients purchasing that one special piece from my store ... is the incredible pressure it puts on me!!   As an artisan, I make my handmade designs to please only my self!.... if someone purchases them... great!


While this has been my die hard rule that  I have believed and lived my entire career as an artist and designer.... it is so much easier said than actually experienced!


Here I stand in my studio... worrying about every little thing I see!!  This is not perfect, the finish is a little less than what I would like here on this corner... have I custom sized it correctly?

...none the less this beautiful leather cuff with a 25 year old gold angel and cherub exvoto on it... is on it's way to Italy today!  I remember the day I purchased it like it was yesterday!  It took me that long to figure out how to attach metal to leather!!


Everyday... I am amazed as I turn on my computer... how this machine and the technology contained inside that little screen has totally changed my life! ... all our lives!


For those of us who ever did a wholesale show the old fashioned way... it is a total miracle!!

  

 I hope Veronica likes her cuff!!

                                 go be fabulous!                                      

                       
                                   

the resident artist

the handmade lifestyle blog @blogspot.com

The first step was finally taken!

              Signature Boutique Bison Cuff             

  Welcome to the Handmade Life Style...

Today is a good day, and my first blog post here at the Handmade Life Style Blog!

I love stories... we all have one! Some of us more than one!!

My vision was to create a forum to tell my stories and to show my work!

But  I soon realized that I really wanted to do more than that...

I wanted to inspire and nurture other artists as well.

As I find my way around and get this thing to look the way I hoped  it would...

I will show my you my design work and tell you a bit more of who I am!

I promise to introduce you to a few other artists and the incredible work they do!!

~     ~     ~     ~      ~      ~       ~

...this is me as a leather artist

One day I wanted to re-create a fab leather belt that I had designed for myself

...some 25 years ago! ( say it isn't so... 25 years!)

 So off I went to the nearest leather store and I came out hours later

 with a line of leather belts and cuffs!

The lovely extra wide leather cuff you see here is one of the first leather cuffs I made! 

 I made it for myself of course....

 I started my life in the fashion industry (another story...) and I wanted   

 something boutique to wear that didn't  have that surfer dude look!!     

After a few speed bumps and a rotten "down turn " in the market...

I am finally up and running on the Internet!

  I have an artisan store on

              Etsy.com  showing my boutique leather accessory collection!       

search address ~    urbanboutique.etsy.com

Political note.... sorry that I don't have my links... buttons... mini etsy...or  flikr up yetit's coming it's coming!! 

Thank you for joining in the fun!

the resident artist 

the handmade lifestyle blog @blogspot.com