my story

Happy Earth Day, everyone! I have been a terrible blogger, as I have not blogged in about 5 months. Yonkers! Well, I am back and I've got a story to tell. Being that today is Earth Day, I will give you a little history (I love how the word 'story' is in 'history') on how the Soda Tab Bracelets came to be... Here is my story.

So many of you know me as "the soda tab bracelet girl" and it's true, they are my most popular item. But what you don't know is that the soda tab bracelet was not the intention when "Dubz and Kittle" was formed.

A long time ago, in 2007, I was working at a local fitness center. Within the center, a juice bar decided to open for business. (Side note: The name of the juice bar was J.U.I.C.E. Bar standing for 'Join Us In Creating Energy' - so clever!) The owners wanted to sell local handmade goods including some type of jewelry.

At the time, I had been making jewelry for myself and family members for a while and thought it would be an awesome business venture. So I called my best of the best friends (I believe the technical term is BFF) and together we became Dubz & Kittle. (I'm the Dubz)

We then began doing birthday parties, home parties, stop-n-shop's, craft fairs, even an annual party hosted by Dubz and Kittle. We sold bracelets, necklaces, earrings, bookmarks (my fave), Beads of Faith items, anklets, pins, and even watches. Everything was completely handmade by the both of us and we had the best of times going shopping for supplies and new organizers (both of our weaknesses).

It wasn't until the fall of 2008 that I made the first soda tab bracelet. My family had been collecting the tabs for a niece who had been donating them to her school. Well, as she got older, her school stopped collecting, but we had gotten into the habit.

So with an over abundance of soda tabs in a bucket, I sat down with elastic and started tinkering. It didn't take long before I had my very first soda tab bracelet. I couldn't believe how comfortable it was and how lightweight considering all the metal involved. It would stretch on and off for easy wear and would almost "shrink" to fit a smaller wrist. I added a cute black ribbon on it to match my outfit for the day and thought "This is so cheesy! I love it!"

Not thinking too much of it, I went out that day with it on. One of my stops for that day was to a local natural goods store who needed to order more of our inventory for their shop. As I was putting things up onto their counter, the girl flipped out. The bracelet instantly caught her eye and she immediately asked "How much?". Not knowing what to say, as I had just created it and wasn't sure how long it would take me to even make a batch, I pulled a number off the top of my head and she immediately ordered a dozen - which sold out in about a week, at which time she continued to order more and more.

Since then, my BFF and I no longer run the business together as she became very busy with finishing up college and moving on to her career. But Dubz & Kittle continues to do craft fairs where we will donate a portion of our profits to a local charity. We have also opened up shop on Etsy and have sold to all over the country and all over the world (including Spain, Australia, Canada, Singapore and Greece). Soon, I see soda tab bracelets making their way to Mars and perhaps Venus.

So, that's just a little story for today. Now I'm off to make up a batch of men's bracelets for our upcoming event for Summerfest 2010 in May. And today is the last day to get your bracelets on sale for Earth Day!

Blog Winner Announced!

We have a winner...

Congratulations to Niki!

Winner of the October 6th Blog Giveaway!

Thank you to all who participated and keep an eye for another upcoming giveaway!

GIVEAWAY - 48 Hours Only!

So, I am hoping to get some good news on Tuesday. Therefore, you get to benefit from it!

Become a follower of my blog between right NOW and Tuesday, October 6th at 11:00pm EST and I will enter you into my drawing to receive one of my ever popular Soda Tab Bracelet (the same style bracelet that "Bella" will be wearing in the "New Moon" movie from the Twilight series coming out soon - pictured here, color of your choice).

To enter the giveaway:

1] Hit the FOLLOW button in the top right of this blog.

2] Leave me a comment with your email address and name (first name only is fine) so I can get in touch with you when you win.

3] That's it! I will enter everyone's name into my fishbowl and choose a winner on Tuesday at 11pm.

So - what are you waiting for??? For details on this bracelet, click here.

another bloody mary... my beef with craft fairs

Hello everyone...

This is what i'm peeling about tonight:

Why must craft fairs be soo unprofitable? Think about it. A couple hundred people are coming to the show, they pay a fee to get into the place, and then they barely buy from any vendor. Granted.. times are tough, and we are going through a "rough financial time"... but really, just stay home. (that's harsh, isn't it?)

Here is what I want to know from the potential buyer:

Are you looking for sales? Would a 15% Off sign entice you to buy? What about "$10 each or 2 for $15"... do you respond better to that?

Do you prefer to have a lot of different items to choose from? For example, do you prefer to be able to look at my soda tab bracelets, bookmarks, keyfobs, greeting cards, earrings, necklaces and rings... or would you just like the bracelets and keyfobs? Should I put out all or mostly all that I have, or just some samples of the stuff?

Finally, why do craft fairs/shows insist on allowing non-crafters to sell their items? I understand that every one needs to make money, but I don't see how that's a craft fair. Someone next to me selling purses they went to NYC for and got on the street and is now reselling them here... I don't get it. Do a purse party... right?

Eck - am I alone here? Let me know your thoughts...

Upcoming Road Trip

Good evening, my loyal followers and dedicated readers.

I just wanted to let you all know about my upcoming road trip that has been in the works for the past two months.

You see, life presented my boyfriend and I with opportunities that allowed us some time away from all of our responsibilities, except being parents to a handsome pooch. (more on him later) Therefore, we decided to celebrate this occurrence by planning a cross country road trip. I own (eh-hem...lease - yuck) a Toyota Prius Hybrid (insert little trademark doo-dad here) and we figure that it's the perfect little car to pack up most of our house and drive all over the place.

This was a great idea until we realized just how much stuff one needs for a 45 day road trip. Oh yeah, did I mention it was 45 days long? Well, it is.

So, we bought a tent, blankets, flashlights, food (LOTS of food), backpacks, chairs, toiletries, and everything thing else that is on Wal-Mart's shelves. Anyway, we were able to borrow pots, pans, an aero bed (haha), pillows, and some other minor things so that kind of helped-ish.

On a personal note, I am not a light packer. Jason (the sweetheart) and I went to Vegas a couple of months ago for 4 days and I packed the largest suitcase I had, plus a carry-on. Pathetic? Uh-huh. I like to think that I'm ready for anything. My reasoning is: "What if I'm wearing that black top with a pink bow on it and we get stuck in a rain storm or a bucket of water gets thrown at me and then we go to a place that says 'All Women Must Be Wearing a Dry Black Top With a Pink Bow To Even Think About Coming In Here'? Then what will I do?" So, I pack every black top with pink bow I own (which surprisingly is more than one) along with every other article of clothing I like and then I'm happy.

On another personal note, and maybe I'm alone on this one, why is it that when you're packing you pick certain things to bring and others to leave home. And the ones you're leaving home are the things you haven't worn in forever. You're not going to wear them again, you don't even want to bring them on a lousy camping trip, so why do you keep them in your drawer? Again my reasoning: "What if someday I get invited to a 'Wear Your Favorite Cereal T-Shirt Party'? What am I going to wear if I throw away my bright yellow Cheerios shirt?" Hopefully, I'm not the only one who suffers from this.

Well, all this ranting has made me realize that I a lot more packing to do, along with dinner to make as well. Thinking Rice-A-Roni, the San Francisco treat. (which is one of our stops) So, I will give you more info some other time. We leave on Saturday so I will have a lot of free time on my hands during the long drives and stuff to keep you all updated.

p.s. Check out the guy's bracelets I've been making. It's a great gift for your boyfriend, brother, uncle, or any other male friend/family member you have.

inspired by elle: PINK!

So, I have been on a real bad PINK kick lately. Therefore, I thought that I would shamelessly promote myself, along with some other fellow Etsy-ers. Please click on the pictures below to go to their listings and shops. (the first one is me...)

sunday night and a bloody mary

So, we've all seen the Dubz and Kittle Soda Tab Bracelets, haven't we?

Well, evolution has brought us to these very awesome bracelets. Made with colored tabs from various drinks that I probably can't mention due to trademark stuff.

Anyway, these pretty little beauties are made to stretch over your wrist and are just as lightweight and eco-friendly as the originals.

As a new blog/blogger, I would like to feature other fellow artists, especially those that feature recycled, upcycled, or eco items. Please email, message, or convo me to be featured.