Behind The Scenes: The Birth of Boot Bling
What do you get when you combine a hoop earring design with the demand for unique cowgirl boot accessories? Why, you get Boot Bling (TM), the latest product to come out of the Buckaroo Bling studio.
A while back, when I was still working on Dream Catchers jewelry collection, I received a comment from one of my social media followers inquiring about whether I made similar accessories for cowgirl boots. At the time, I found the comment intriguing, but as I was busy putting the jewelry collection together, I placed that comment on a back burner until the holiday season last year. As I was going to participate in a couple of live holiday shopping events, I thought they would be good venues to test the viability of the boot jewelry idea. So, I made a prototype pair of "boot earrings" and gave my show booth visitors a chance to win it. The response was overwhelming, and after the winner was chosen and sent that very first pair of Boot Bling, the process of refining the design and coming up with color options began.
The main question I grappled with during that time was how to incorporate my signature hand coiled wire element into the new design, while at the same time keeping the resulting product in a very affordable price range. After several trials and errors, I decided to introduce two separate yet coordinating designs of Boot Bling: a simpler one, without the wire coil, and a "fancy" one that incorporates the coil. This way, I was able to offer these fun accessories at two retail price points: a very affordable $28 per pair for the simpler design, and $37 per pair for coiled design for those ladies who want to take their boot jewelry up a notch.
So, now that you know all the nitty-gritty of the conceptualization and initial design, aren't you curious to find out how exactly Boot Bling is made? Glad you asked. Recently, I recorded a little video showing the whole process of handcrafting these accessories, from a spool of wire and wad of leather to the finished product. Watch it below.
Now, mind you, my hands don't really move this fast, but I figured, you wouldn't want to sit here watching a whole hour of video, so I sped it up a bit. OK, I sped it up a lot.
Want to see all the colors and styles Boot Bling comes in and get a pair or two for yourself? Click the button below to shop. Your boots will thank you.
