Sunsets: Nature-made and Handmade

After sharing the stunningly beautiful morning we had last week, I can't help but share the orange/pink/salmon/corral/yellow/red evening that we had just a couple of days ago, too. This photo is totally unedited - exactly how it came out of my camera. Nature makes the most amazing art!

Sure is hard to match. But, since I like all things handmade too, I thought I should add the best competition I've sound so far...this "wowza, amazing!" quilt by quilt artist Grace Errea (of course, the image is from her website, too - please go visit).

 

I think this one really speaks for itself, or at least it better because it just makes my mouth drop open in awe.

How's that for inspiration?!

Believe me, when I can put that sunset in a buckle, you all will be the first to know!

Big Sky, Blue Sky, Belt Buckles!

Living in Big Sky is often like living in a beautiful paradise. I have to pinch myself and remember that these gorgeous mountains and awe-inspiring landscapes really are my backyard! And, of course, during ski season town is abuzz with skiers and tourists who have come to enjoy our champagne powder and blue skies. Not to mention that there's never a line at the ski lift.

To celebrate Big Sky and ski season, I'm sharing a photo I took just the other day - while running an errand!  Paradise...

Blue skies and perfect powder runs do tend to inspire a few buckles, too. Lately, I've been making a whole variety of ski map buckles and I also love this recent Snow buckle...

As always, if you see a buckle here that you'd like to get or something similar, just let me know and I can probably post it on Etsy for you.

And if you haven't ever been to Big Sky - or Montana - I would highly recommend a visit. Once we arrived, we were hooked!

All the best from Wild Bear Buckles in the great Big Sky!

Crafting: Finding ideas for inspiration!

Some days I could spend hours making buckles and never stop to take a breath, but other days I just sit and stare at the piles on my desk. What's the difference? Inspiration! 

Here are some of my favorite ways to get inspired and things that I find inspiring...

- I'm a frugal person (that's the nice way to say it  :)  ), so I always keep old greetings cards and fun scraps of paper around - you just never know when they'll be perfect for a project.  So take a look through your piles of saved scraps.

- When my husband and I want to think about adventure, the first thing we do is pull out maps. We have piles of them. So why not create fun items from the maps I love to look at. What do you love to browse through? How can you use that item in a project?
The beginning of a new buckle...

- Around town I keep my eyes open for things I like and that are eye-catching. All the beautiful colors at the paint store - put them to use!

- Borrow from one craft to give to another! Besides making buckles I also love to sew. Turns out there are a million fun fabrics with great designs. Why not borrow from my sewing stash for my other favorite craft? Blanket or buckle...

And, finally, there's always inspiration to be found online...

• Browse the amazing crafts and great photos at craftgawker.com
• Look at the beautiful treasuries on etsy.com
• Find a few blogs that have a great aesthetic. My choice today is elle.mnop - a pleasingly simple website with beautiful photos, fun ideas, and a mishmash that's fun to explore.

What items inspire you?

Calendar of owl illustrations - free!

It's half way through January and you don't have a calendar on the wall yet?!  Don't despair.  Check out this fantastic free owl calendar.  You can choose just the illustrations you like and...tada!...a calendar for the whole year.  What a great idea!  I just couldn't help but share...

Montana made belts?

While I've just gotten in some genuine leather belts at Made in Big Sky...

I'd really like to find some local Montana made belts to sell with Wild Bear Buckles.  With all the cattle around here and handy craft people making chaps, holsters, leather decorations, etc. you'd think there would be someone making some perfect leather belts.

Do you know anyone making (or interesting in making!) leather belts in Montana?  If yes, please send me a heads up!  I'd love to do business...

Thanks!

Up on Etsy

Thanks to the encouragement of so many folks, Wild Bear Buckles is now on Etsy.com!  You can visit the shop at wildbearbuckles.etsy.com. 

For any of you who are also craft folks and considering Etsy - just do it!  The shop was easy to setup and has lots of fun tools.  For example, it only took a few clicks to create the EtsyMini that you see on the left bar of this blog page.  Perfect! 

Using PayPal for payment service also makes it easy to accept credit cards and get things rolling right away.  While they do remove a small fee (just like Etsy) it is probably well worth it if you are a very small business, like I am.

So, check out Wild Bear Buckles on Etsy and feel free to ask me any questions if you are considering a move to Etsy yourself!

Featured in the Big Sky Weekly

Wild Bear Buckles is featured in the Big Sky Weekly's first Gallery of 2011!  Check it out...

For sale @ Made in Big Sky!

Wild Bear Buckles is the newest vendor at Made in Big Sky!

Made in Big Sky is an art and craft coop in Big Sky where all items really are...Made in Big Sky!  Also, the artists and crafters staff the shop, so you can always find out a little something special about the items in the shop just by stopping in.


Stop by and visit!  In January, I'll be staffing the shop:
12-2pm, Sunday the 24th
4-6pm, Friday the 28th
4-6pm, Sunday the 30th

Made in Big Sky is open 7 days a week 12-6pm and is located around the corner from the Country Market in the Meadow Village (close to the post office).  Stop in and pick up Wild Bear Buckles and perfect fitting genuine leather belts to show them off.  I'm sure they will be your new favorite!

See you at Made in Big Sky!...

New buckles for the New Year

Happy New Year!!

We better start the year out right...
Here's some of the buckles from the newest batch.  I know you'll love them!