Submit Your Chainmaille Designs and Get Published by Blue Buddha!

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guest-designer-logoWe are looking forward to 2015 and we want to publish more original designs created by YOU! Will your creation become the next Blue Buddha Boutique tutorial?

The B3 Guest Designer Program brought us great projects like Lunar Moth, Persianette, Iris 8 and the Celtic Traditions Barrette. We are so lucky to have the most talented and creative customers and peers.

Why be a B3 Guest Designer?

Our Guest Designers benefit a number of ways. If accepted, your design could reach an audience of hundreds of thousands of customers ranging from novice to expert levels. And you’ll be compensated fairly; many Guest Designers can expect to receive fees and royalties higher than typical rates for publishing a project in magazines. Finally, you’ll benefit from the flexibility of the program, which is meant help artists do what they do best. After a short exclusivity period, the design you create with B3’s help will be yours to sell on your own as well.

What Is B3 Looking For?

Occasionally, with the Guest Designer Program, we ask for submission that feature a specific B3 product (rubber rings, large rings, etc.) but this time, you have free reign. So, show us — what fun, elegant, cool, edgy or glamorous design you have up your sleeve? Here are some categories to help spark your imagination:

  • Necklaces, bracelets or earrings
  • Finger rings or other hand jewelry
  • Head pieces or hair adornments
  • Men’s jewelry
  • Beginner to advanced-level projects

KIT-CELT-TRAD-ALUM-big KIT-IRIS-8-COPP-big KIT-LUNAR-MOTH-ALUM-big KIT-PRSNTTE-BRACE-ALUM-bigHow to Submit Your Idea:

  • Complete our project proposal form which includes basic information about the project (materials list, description, etc.).
  • In the form, you’ll need to include up to three photos of the finished piece.
  • Late-January, our Product Development team will review all designs and and contact the designers whose pieces we are most interested in. At that point, designers will be required to submit a full sample using B3 rings (yep, we will mail the sample back to you), as well as basic photos and instructions for how to create it (these can be super basic—even cell phone pics will do). Our Product Development team will make final selections from this round of reviews.

Submit your idea to us by 5 pm CT, January 16, 2015, to be considered. It will also be helpful to read our FAQ page about what it means to work with Blue Buddha to create a chainmaille tutorial. Still have questions? Send us an email at [email protected]. Happy weaving!

>>GO TO THE PROPOSAL FORM<<

Not sure how to come up with an original chainmaille design? Check out this video from our Ask Rebeca series where she talks about how she comes up with new weaves!

12 Days of Craftmas: Five Wizard at Work Bath and Body Products

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On the fifth day of Craftmas, the Blue Buddha Artisan Market gave to me …

Five handmade soaps by Wizard at Work.

Millenium Falcon Gummy Bear TARDIS Superman Soap

Wizard at Work soaps, bath fizzies and lotion bars come in a variety of fun shapes like gummy bears and chill pills, as well as Doctor Who, Star Wars and various superhero-inspired shapes.

Soap, bath fizzies and lotion bars in fun shapes? Check! The Wizard at Work here is Kymberlee Ricke, a 10+ year resident of the Uptown neighborhood in Chicago, and her day job is teaching 5th grade reading and science on the west side of the city where she often brings her bath and body product making skills to school and teaches the students to make their own soaps and bath bombs. She’s also an avid wildlife photographer, jeweler and crochet artist. She travels internationally at least once a year to photograph the diverse wildlife found in places like Costa Rica, Honduras and Belize.

Check out more of Wizard at Work’s soapy creations in person at the Blue Buddha Artisan Market, 1127 W. Granville in Chicago, or visit www.etsy.com/WizardAtWork.

12 Days of Craftmas: Four Ms. Anna Art Blocks

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On the fourth day of Craftmas, the Blue Buddha Artisan Market gave to me …

Four art blocks by Ms. Anna Art.

Ms Anna Art blocks

Ms. Anna is a facepainter, story writer, and art maker based in Chicago. She wrote, illustrated and self-published the children’s book “Everybody Hoops But Me” in 2013, and just released a new board book for babies, SillyFace. More of Ms. Anna’s stories can be read on her blog www.annatodaroblog.com.

Come see more of Ms. Anna’s decorative art blocks in person at the Blue Buddha Artisan Market, 1127 W. Granville in Chicago, or visit her website msannaart.com.

12 Days of Craftmas: Three Bags by Poise.cc

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On the second day of Craftmas, the Blue Buddha Artisan Market gave to me …

Three bags hand crafted by Poise.cc.

Reusable snack bags

Poise.cc is the small handbag empire of Cinnamon Cooper, a founding member of the Chicago Craft Mafia and original organizer of the DIY Trunk Show. For many reasons, she’s pretty great. We love that her bags are durable, versatile and extremely high quality. The three bags pictured above are from her line of reusable food bags — a more affordable and environmentally friendly alternative to zip-top baggies. The fabric used for these bags is made in the USA and has been approved by the FDA as food-safe. They are water resistant, machine-washable and have zipper closures. 

Come see more of Cinnamon’s creations in person at the Blue Buddha Artisan Market, 1127 W. Granville in Chicago, or visit her website poise.cc.

12 Days of Craftmas: Two Ornaments by Do Bats Eat Cats?

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On the second day of Craftmas, the Blue Buddha Artisan Market gave to me …

Two chainmaille holiday ornaments by Do Bats Eat Cats?

dobatseatcats_ornaments

Do Bats Eat Cats? is close to B3’s heart as it is the company of our very own Darlene Ostrowski.

She creates gothic chainmaille earrings, necklaces, and bracelets; holiday ornaments in both traditional and nontraditional color palettes — perfect for Yule or Solstice trees — as well as accessories full of skulls, bats, spiders and cats. For Do Bats Eat Cats?, every day is Halloween! Darlene weaves each item by hand, one ring at a time.

Come see her creations in person at the Blue Buddha Artisan Market, 1127 W. Granville in Chicago, or visit her website www.dobatseatcats.com.