A Year in Review: 2014!

How did 2014 fly by in a blink?!

In a world where days, weeks and months seem to blur together, let’s take a minute to reflect on the year. We hope you enjoy this look back at some memorable moments from 2014, and be sure to share your favorite B3 and chainmaille moments of the year in the comments below.

Cheers for happy, healthy 2015!

January — February — March

Cold metal, warm hearts! We survived the miserable polar vortex and warmed up with some fun romance-inspired seasonal kits, and wrote Valentines to what inspires us. <3

We also said a sad goodbye to an old friend, Oscar the Knight. We miss you, buddy!

April — May — June

You voted on the design — and then you bought a bunch of I *pliers* Chainmaille t-shirts! Thank you! We had a great time with this Teespring campaign, and love seeing folks wearing them around.

YouTube HAPPENED. This year, we really dedicated ourselves to creating helpful, educational and sometimes downright silly video content. It was a slippery learning curve, but we found our groove with monthly “Favorite Things” and “Ask Rebeca” episodes, as well as some informative DIY Life Hacks.

Have an idea for a video you’d like to see? Tell us in the comments!

Finally, in June, we celebrated the first anniversary of our Chicago retail shop. Seems like just yesterday it was a raw space with no floor. Now it is a thriving, colorful chainmaille supply and handmade goods destination in Chicago! Thank you for all the support!

July — August — September

Rebeca answered a question we get a LOT: “Can I sell the jewelry I make from B3 tutorials?” The short answer: Yep!

And, we, uh, may or may not be responsible for Cats & Chainmaille.

October — November—December

We launched our new line of rubber O-rings! Not only are the colors vibrant and the texture amazing, but you can only get these rings from Blue Buddha. Sweet.

We also welcomed Britt Johnson, our new Marketing Director! Stay tuned for fun new things to come under her marketing leadership.

Possibly our biggest undertaking of  year? Blue Buddha hosted the DIY Trunk Show!

With more than 130 vendors and 5,000+ shoppers, more than a year of planning boiled down to one amazing day filled with talented artists, friendly shoppers, delicious food and beverages, and great music to fill the air. It all made the return of the DIY Trunk show a total blast!